Sailor Star Guardians
by MaidenAliceMichaelis
Summary: Four moons have risen and now the Legendary Silver Crystal no longer works. There is one way to fix it, but it can't be the only way. There has to be something else they can do that will spare them from bloodshed. Let's just hope they figure it out soon so they can save their home and everyone they hold dear. OCs
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone, Alice Michaelis here. I've just started getting back into Sailor Moon (I used to watch the English dub when I was like five), and I have noticed many things have changed since the last time I watched it so I have been rewatching all the episodes in Japanese this time. I'm still on the first season, so please bare with me if I get things wrong. I am doing this off of memory, things I found online, and artistic license. I'm always open to criticism. Thank you, and enjoy.**_

_**Nova - A star that suddenly increases in brightness before returning to its original state**_

* * *

_**~Chapter 1: The Missing Young Ones! The First Sailor Senshi Appears!**_

* * *

"_What about you, Mother?"_

"_Go. All of you. I will face this."_

"_No! We won't leave you behind, Mother!"_

"_I agree."_

"_Go! That is an order!"_

"_No! We're staying with you!"_

"_I SAID GO! PORTAL TO PARADOX!"_

"_EYAH!"_

"_MOTHER!"_

* * *

I walked up the steps, heading for the door. My watch read two in the morning, my phone had twenty missed calls, ten voicemails I haven't listened to, sixteen text messages I haven't read, and an almost dead battery.

I sighed as I slipped into the house quietly. He's going to kill me. I'm grounded this time for sure.

I squeezed myself into the house through the small open space in the door. I didn't want to open the door too much, afraid that it would creak and I would get caught. The simplest sound could set him off and get me truly chastised.

I tiptoed into the living room and glanced around nervously. As I continued to talk, my foot slipped on a slippery fabric and I fell back, _hard_,on the wooden floor.

"Ow," I whispered and gasped, holding in my breathe as I listened closely to my surroundings. Still laying on the ground, I quietly reached for what tripped me and glanced at it. "Ew!" I half whispered, half yelled, as I threw the female underwear far away from me.

"Nova!"

"Crap," I whispered and crawled over to the dining room, where I hid under the table.

Footsteps ran downstairs and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Nova? You're really late!" he said angrily and began walking around the house.

I kept myself hidden under the table. One, it was dark. Two, I had black hair, so as long as I kept my head down, he wouldn't see me. Good, good. I'm safe.

"Nova!" he growled and, to my greatest dismay, turned on the light. "There you are!"

I froze where I was and glanced over my shoulder nervously. "I-Ikuto," I muttered and stared at my angry brother. His silver eyes were narrowed as he glared at me. He was also shirtless, wearing nothing but sweatpants.

He reached for me and yanked me out from under the table by the back of my shirt.

"Hey! Let me go!"

"Where have you been? I've been calling you!" he said, demanding an answer.

I kept my eyes glued to the floor and didn't speak. Ikuto sniffed my hair and growled slightly. "You smell like alcohol, cigarettes, and sweat."

"I was at a party," I finally answered.

"In your _school _uniform?"

"Why not?" I yanked myself out of his grip and crossed my arms, glaring back at him. "Why does it matter? I'm sixteen, I can take care of myself."

"No, you can't!" Ikuto protested and ran his hand through his dark brown hair, it was almost black. He groaned and let out a deep breathe, trying to calm himself down.

"Ikuto?"

"Eh?" I whispered and glanced over towards the living room. "Who's that?" I asked.

"Ikuto," the female voice asked again from upstairs.

"Coming," he called. "I'm just talking to my sister."

"Alright. Hurry back," she spoke the last sentence seductively and I heard the bedroom door close.

"Oh. So it's her underwear I slipped on," I whispered to myself.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said quickly and turned to the stairs. "Well, I see you're busy . . . So I'll leave you be."

"Nova! I'm not done talking to you!" Ikuto yelled as I ran upstairs and into my room. I sighed with relief, thank goodness my room is completely at the opposite side of the hallway. I don't have to hear Ikuto and whatever floozy he has over today, er, tonight.

I locked my door and walked into my bathroom. I took a quick shower and put on my pajamas. My body practically collapsed onto my bed, and I was out like a light in the next second.

* * *

"_Nii-chan, is that my book?" I asked and stared down at the boy in question. His eyes were hidden by his bangs, but I could still see the manly blush on his face._

"_W-what? No way, Nova! Why would I want to read one of your dumb books?" he yelled and looked away._

"_It is!" I giggled and smiled. "I knew you couldn't resist them. I just knew it."_

"_Be quiet. Don't tell Mother about this. Got it?"_

_I placed a flat hand on my head, saluting. "Yes, sir!"_

_The boy I was talking to smiled and ruffled my hair, messing it up and making me angry. I puffed my cheeks out and glared at him._

"_You know I hate that!" I said._

"_Yeah, which is why I did it, Baka."_

"_The one who calls someone baka is a baka themselves!" I pointed out._

_The boy smiled and grabbed my arm, pulling me down to him. He hugged me closely, making me feel warm and safe. I smiled and hugged him back, knowing he would always be there for me. Even if we seemed to hate each other at times, or not want to acknowledge the others existence, we still cared._

_But I also felt scared. I felt this wouldn't last and the one I called brother would be ripped away from me. We would be torn apart by something we were born into, something I had no control over and neither did him._

_Something that would cause one of us to die._

* * *

I gasped and woke up to the bright sun outside, my pillows on the ground, my blanket dangling off the edge of the bed, and my hand outstretched towards the ceiling. I brought my hand down and placed my arm over the top of my head.

"That guy again," I whispered and stared up at the ceiling for a little longer before I glanced over at my alarm clock and gasped. "I OVERSLEPT! I'M LATE!"

I climbed out of bed and took a quick shower. I put on my school uniform, a red and black sailor theme uniform. I combed through my black hair and made the trademark bunny shaped buns on top of my head. I quickly grabbed my suitcase backpack and ran downstairs.

"_**Another disappearance occurred last night. The victim, Segumi Akashiya, is missing. She was last seen in her own home by her own parents. She wished them goodnight and went to bed, but when her mother went to check on her this morning she was missing." **_

"Eh?" I muttered and took a few steps back so I could look back at the TV. "Another girl went missing?" I asked.

Ikuto glanced over at me from the couch. "You woke up? I'm shocked. I was going to let you miss school."

I gasped. "School! Right! I'm leaving now!" I ran out the house and as quickly as I could to the school.

"Damn it!" I cried as I ran. "Why did I stay out late knowing I had to go to school the next day? I mean, I haven't been late in over two months! Ugh! I really don't want detention. I really need to think more about my actions."

I ran into my classroom and sat down. I sighed with relief. The teacher still wasn't here.

"Late again, I see, Tsukino-san."

I growled under my breathe and glanced over at Rima Momomiya. She smirked at me, her brown eyes mocking. I glared back at her.

"Can I help you, Momomiya?" I hissed.

"How dare you leave out my honorific!" she snapped and flipped her wavy red hair over her shoulder. "Weird eyes, how about not being late next time."

"Stop calling me Weird Eyes," I said. I hated that damn nickname. The reason for it is because I have two different color eyes. My left one is red while my right one is blue. Is there a problem with being unique? Sheesh. The nerve of some people.

Rima smirked and went off to her little groupies. I scowled at her back and looked out the window to clear my mind of that awful chick. When I glanced out the window, my eyes widened at a really bizarre scene.

"Usagi?" I whispered and stared at the white rabbit sitting on the windowsill of my classroom windows. How did a rabbit get to the second floor windowsill?

The white rabbit began to paw at the window. I continued to stare, clearly dumbfounded by what I was seeing. My eyes then wandered to the rabbit's forehead. Gold hairs formed a perfect star, a unique birthmark, especially for an animal.

I shook my head quickly and looked towards the front of the classroom. The rabbit continued to bang at the window, ticking me off by the continuous 'clang, clang'.

"Is that a rabbit?" someone gasped.

"Oh my gosh, how did it get there?"

A few students rushed over to the window, almost knocking me out of my seat. I sighed and got out my chair to avoid the crowd. One student opened the window and the rabbit jumped in and walked over to me. I stared down at it curiously.

"It likes Weird Eyes?" someone said.

I glared at the crowd. "Stop calling me Weird Eyes!" I snapped and looked back down at the rabbit. I picked it up and smiled. "You're pretty cute."

Just then, the classroom door opened and in stepped the teacher. He pushed his glasses up and looked at the whole classroom which was crowded around the window, and me all alone in the opposite corner with a rabbit in my arms.

"Tsukino-san!" he said and pointed at the rabbit. "No pets allowed in school!"

"I-I know that!" I said, quickly defending myself. "The rabbit got in through the window!"

"How?" he asked skeptically, his brown eyes narrowed angrily. "You expect me to believe a rabbit managed to jump into a second floor window?"

"But it's the truth!" I argued. I looked over at the class. "Right?"

No one answered. Everyone was silent and went back to their seats. So no one is going to defend me? I can't believe this! I'm not even the one who opened the window to let the rabbit in!

The teacher pointed to the classroom door. "Principal's office."

"But-"

"Now!"

I growled, grabbed my suitcase, and left the classroom with the rabbit still in my arms. I glared at the rabbit as I walked down the hall.

"You got me in trouble," I grumbled.

The rabbit just stared up at me innocently, green eyes wide. It suddenly jumped out of my arms, did a back flip in the air, and ran off.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Where are you going?"

I glanced down as something shimmered in the corner of my eyes. It was a silver cross with a red ruby in the center. I bent down and picked it up. I turned it over in my hands and noticed it had a pin on the back of it.

"A brooch?" I whispered and glanced up towards where the bunny had run off to. "Did it drop this?" I chuckled. Usually I would call myself stupid for thinking a rabbit had a brooch in the first place, but after seeing what the rabbit did earlier, I believe it.

I chuckled and kept on walking to the principal's office as I threw the brooch in the air and caught it repeatedly.

"Ikuto's gonna be mad at me," I chuckled.

* * *

"Principal's office again?" Ikuto groaned and sat down at one of the kitchen chairs.

I knew he would be mad. I stirred the curry, not glancing back at him. I could hear his phone slide open as he began to text someone.

"How was the photo shoot?" I asked and glanced back at him finally.

He shrugged. "Annoying. Someone found out where it would be held and there was a whole swarm of annoying girls there."

"And you didn't bring one home?" I said with a smirk and turned away. "Shocking."

"Shut up. I don't sleep with _every _girl I see."

"No, you're right," I said sarcastically. "Just ninety percent of them."

"Whatever. Why did you go to the principal's office? He said it would be better if you told me. What, did you get into another fight?"

I shook my head and served Ikuto some food. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said.

"What do you mean?"

I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. I felt my cheeks begin to burn up in embarrassment. "W-well . . .you see . . . This bunny . . ." I trailed off.

"Bunny?" He asked impatiently.

I sighed and began talking really fast, my sentences sounding like one long word. "'." I took in a deep breathe and sighed when I got everything out.

Ikuto stared at me for a moment as if I were insane. He remained silent as he tried to figure out what exactly I had just said and how to respond. Then, all of a sudden, he began to laugh. My cheeks turned even darker as he laughed and laughed and laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked stubbornly. Then again, what's not funny about what I just said and how I said it?

"A rabbit? On the second story window? You expect me to believe that?" he asked between snickers.

"Well it's true!"

Ikuto shook his head, still smiling. "No way. Impossible."

"Fine, don't believe me," I said and took off the stupid apron. I quickly hung it and stomped up to my room.

"Nova? Are you seriously angry with me?" Ikuto called after me. "Come on. You can't seriously want me to take what you said seriously."

I slammed my room door behind me and collapsed onto my stomach on my bed. I hid my face in my pillow as I felt the warm tears leak out of my eyes. I quickly wiped them away since I hated to cry. Only babies cried! I'm not a baby.

"S-stupid I-Ikuto," I whimpered and began crying again. So much for stopping the tears.

Why does he never believe me? He can't even tell when I'm telling the truth or not, the jerk! I'm not lying! I'm telling the truth! And what about the kids at school? They all saw it too, but they didn't stick up for me! It's because I'm Weird Eyes. Ugh! I've done nothing wrong to those people, yet they treat me like garbage. Fine. Doesn't matter. I don't need them. I don't need anyone. I know I'm a good person, no matter what, and if they don't know that, too bad for them. If they think I'm lying, that's there problem. If they think I'm mean, that's there problem.

I sighed. I'm starting to sound dramatic. Not good.

I rested my head back on the pillow and closed my eyes. "How many times have I cried myself to sleep this week?" I whispered and began to sink into a deep slumber.

* * *

"_Where am I?" I glanced around the complete and utter darkness around me and called out, "Ikuto? Ikuto!" I curled into a ball and shut my eyes. This place makes me feel empty and alone. I don't like this feeling! Ikuto, where are you?_

"_Nova."_

_I looked up and saw Ikuto in front of me. I jumped to my feet and ran towards him, but instead of me getting closer, I was getting farther and farther away._

"_Ikuto!" I shouted and extended my hand out, wanting him to grab it. "Ikuto! I'm scared! The darkness will take me! Don't let it take me! IKUTO!"_

* * *

My eyes fluttered open and I tried to gasp out, but couldn't. Two hands were suddenly wrapped around my throat, choking me tightly.

I winced, looking up at the person strangling me as the moonlight shined on them. My eyes widened, what was this _thing_? It was a female, her skin was a sickly pale white, her eyes black and hollow. She smiled widely, revealing sharp teeth. He hair was long and wild and her ears were pointy.

"What energy you have," she chuckled.

I open my mouth, trying to shout out, luckily I managed it slightly. "Ikuto!" I choked. It wasn't loud enough, but he must be able to hear it. Please!

"Nova?" Oh thank goodness he heard me.

I began trying to kick this thing off of me as my room door swung open. I winced and glanced over at Ikuto.

"Nova!" he ran towards the thing and I, about to help me, when I was suddenly not in my room anymore.

The women finally let me go and threw me away from her. I skidded against the rock floor and looked up at her when I had stopped.

"What are you?" I coughed, now being able to breathe again. "And w-where are we? How did I get here?"

The women smirked and began to chuckle sinisterly. "You are a lively one, I can tell. Your energy will last us many years."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped and jumped to my feet. I looked around the area. It looked like a cave. A cave with shimmering blue, gold, and red rocks. There was a small lake nearby that also was shimmering.

The women-thing-whatever walked over to the water and smiled down on it. "You'll be just like them."

"Just like . . .?" I walked over to the water and looked down. I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands. There were the bodies of all the missing people. They were all really pale and skinny. So skinny, they were just skeletons with skin.

"Now, let's hurry up and get this over with." the thing began walking towards me again.

"Get away from me," I said sternly and began taking steps back.

"Or what?" it chuckled. "You can't do anything, Human."

I glared at the thing as my body shook in fear. "I said . . . Get. Away. From. ME!" All of a sudden, this really bright light consumed me, and without knowing why, I shouted, "ROYAL CRYSTAL, MAKE-UP!"

The ruby in the center of the silver cross began to glow as well, and when everything had finally faded, I was in a weird outfit.

I was in a white bodice that had a purple sailor collar with a gray bow with a red star in the center. My pleated skirt was purple with a strip of gray on the bottom of it. There was a long red bow on the back of my bodice. Red wrist bands encased my wrists, a purple choker with a red star in the middle was around my neck. I had a silver crown with a golden star in the center and red star earrings. Lastly, I had on gray boots that went to just about my tibia.

"What the hell is this?" I muttered and stared at this weird outfit. I tugged at the bottom of the mini skirt, why did it have to be so short?

The beast before me gasped. "Sailor Senshi?"

"Sailor what?" I asked and screamed as she lunged for me. I quickly jumped out of the way. I gasped as my footing slipped backwards, causing me almost to fall. That's when I noticed I was right by the water's edge.

"I have you now!"

I screamed as the beast lunged for me and pushed me into the water, her hands wrapped around my neck as she strangled me and we sunk to the bottom. My eyes widened in horror as he face grew more demon like and she grew a fish tail.

Evil mermaid! Just great! I'm going to die by Ariel here.

I squeezed my eyes shut, begging for some kind of miracle to happen. I couldn't die here. I didn't want to die here! I _wouldn't _die here!

I felt this sudden warmth in the center of my body, I opened my eyes and winced as the salt water burned them a bit. The beast let go of my neck and went back, her face in utter shock. I was shocked too; my body was surrounded in a golden light. I stared at my hands and noticed I could suddenly breathe under water too. Just as quickly as the light came, it vanished, but what replaced it was a bright orb in front of me. The golden orb morphed into the shape of a large scythe, the light dispersed and there was the actual scythe.

"A weapon!" I said happily, but it sounded muffled. Even though I could suddenly breathe underwater, it didn't mean I was good talking under it. I grabbed the weapon quickly and glared at the mermaid.

She smirked. "No bother," she said and it sounded clear, unlike my groggily words. "The weapon doesn't matter, only the person who wields it." she began swimming towards me, extremely fast.

As she did, more words appeared in my head that I quickly said and swung the scythe. "Atonement Of The Stars!" I shouted as I sliced the mermaid in half.

She screeched and turned to ashes before me, floating away in all directions. I floated there, too shocked to do anything. My outfit went back to normal, and then the bad part.

I wrapped my hands around my neck. _Can't breathe! And I can't swim! _I struggled to reach the top of the water, wagging my arms and legs, but of course I wasn't going anywhere. My lungs began to tighten and my heart sped up as I began feeling light headed from no air. Things began to blur, and next thing I knew, I had passed out.

* * *

"Nova! Come on, wake up. Nova."

I groaned and opened my eyes slowly, I then quickly closed them as I was blinded by a bright light.

_Crap. I'm dead. The light came for me._

"Nova," a male voice sighed and arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close to someone's chest. My eyes opened again and adjusted to the light before I realized I was in a hospital bed with Ikuto as the one holding me close.

"Ikuto?" I whispered questionable. But, where was the cave? Wasn't I drowning? All the skeleton kids? What about them? How did I get here?

Ikuto pulled away and glared at me. "Why didn't you fight back?" he snapped.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"Why didn't you fight back? You were kidnapped! I almost lost it!" he yelled.

I glared back at him. "Oi! Don't yell at me!"

"I can if I want!"

We were both silent and glared at each other for a few more minutes before someone knocked on the door and walked in. Ikuto glanced at who it was and sent them an even meaner glare.

"She doesn't know anything," he said.

I glanced at the police officer. Great, here comes the questions.

The officer just shook his head. "I bet she doesn't. None of the other kids know."

"So they're okay," I whispered under my breathe.

Ikuto huffed and glanced back at me. He reached out and rested his hand on top of my head. "At least she's safe."

The officer nodded. "I just came to tell you that I will not be questioning her. Have a good day." he bowed and left the room.

"I'm hungry," I said when the guy left.

Ikuto flicked my forehead.

"Ow!" I shouted and rubbed my forehead.

"Idiot," he muttered and got up and left the room too.

"I want sushi!" I said and smirked as he slammed the door behind him.

I just love driving people insane.

* * *

(? P. O. V)

"She's probably very confused."

"Yes, I know. I'll go explain things to her soon."

"You better. I'm already a little upset you didn't do it sooner. Luckily her instincts kicked in and she didn't die."

"I'm glad. Or else we'd be in serious trouble with you-know-who."

"Yeah. Now go before another youma appears."

"Right! I'm gone!"

* * *

_**So? How does everyone like it so far? I know, boring, but it will get better. You know, books are always dull in the beginning before the drama appears. Anyways, please review, I'm always looking for ways to improve, and if you see any errors, just let me know. Alright, later!**_

_**~Alice Michaelis**_

_**P. S. Just for clarifying, Nova has long straight black hair with two buns on the top of her head that resemble Chibi-Usa's. Her left eye is red while the right one is blue. I just thought I would say this because I don't think I did such a good idea explaining how she looks. Later!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you: Serandi82 and SexyTurtle75 for reviewing. It really made me happy, I'm happy to see people liked the first chapter. Now, here's the second one! Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**~Chapter 2: Amusement Of Terror! The Hunter Makes An Appearance!**_

I thought about the weird incident that had occurred three days ago as I laid in my bed, a black pillow clutched tightly to my chest.

_Royal Crystal, Make Up!_

Why had I said that back there? And what was up with that weird, girly transformation?I sighed and rolled onto my side, the pillow still held tightly in my arms. "This is so screwed up."

"Right now? But it's my day off." I heard Ikuto said as he approached my closed room door. He sighed. "Fine. I'll be there."

I listened to the sound of his cellphone shut and sat up in bed. Ikuto knocked on the door lightly.

"Nova?"

"You can come in. I don't care," I said and fell back onto the bed.

He opened the door and peaked in, his stormy gray eyes landing on me. "Apparently a famous photographer has just arrived and he wants me to be one of the models. So I'm going in today."

I shrugged and stared up at the roof. "Nothing new. You almost always get called in on your days off." It's one of the main reasons why I became so rebellious. It sucks never being able to hang out with him whenever I want.

Ikuto walked over to my bed and sat on the edge. "Want to go to the amusement park later?"

"Amusement park?" I asked and glanced at him. "You mean that new one that just opened?"

Ikuto nodded. "I hear it's pretty popular. So you want to go?"

I nodded. "Whatever. I don't care."

He stared down at me, eyes cautious and worried. "You've been acting weird since you got kidnapped. Nova a-"

"I'm tired," I said quickly and turned my back to Ikuto. "You'll be late to work if you stay any longer."

He sighed. "Yeah." Ikuto leaned down and quickly kissed my cheek before leaving the room.

I pressed my hand to my cheek in shock. I chuckled and closed my eyes, deciding to take a nap after all.

"Ikuto, you baka."

* * *

_"Nova, don't go near those doors. Alright?"_

_"But Mama, didn't-"_

_"Just please listen to me dear."_

_". . . Okay . . ."_

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly and stared at the wall. There was that women again. I never could see her face. Just like everyone else in my dreams. Such weird dreams. I wonder what they mean.

I climbed out of bed groggily and went downstairs. I dug through the fridge and pulled out some leftover lasagna and a can of orange soda. I drank some soda as the food warmed up in the microwave.

I glanced over at the clock. Six thirty. I wonder when Ikuto will be back. Oh well. I can just go hang out with some of my friends if he doesn't show.

At that moment, the front door's lock clicked and the door opened. Ikuto stepped in, looking upset.

I smirked as he entered the kitchen. "Aw. Did someone piss in your cheerios?"He swung his black jacket over the back of the kitchen chair and sat down while

grumbling something I couldn't quite understand.

"I have to go back tomorrow. There went my other day off," he finally spoke up.I rolled my eyes just as the microwave beeped, but now I wasn't hungry. I decided to just leave it in the microwave.

"Can we go now?" I asked.

Ikuto smiled. "Yeah. Let's go."

"Yay," I said half heartedly and grabbed my black sweater.

We got into the car and drove off to the amusement park.

"So where is this place anyways?" I asked.

"By the docks."

"The docks?" I gasped and glanced over at Ikuto, my multi-color eyes wide.

He nodded, his face remaining serious. "Yeah."

"B-but-"

"I know. But that's the past. Don't think about it and just have fun."

I reached out and clutched Ikuto's sleeve, like a small child clinging to their mother. "Fine. But stay close."

He nodded. "Alright."

We finally arrived at the beach and parked in the packed parking lot. I was shocked. I mean, I know Ikuto said this place was popular, but still.

We both got out the car and already I was having flashbacks and feeling upset.

"Nova?"

I stared down at my feet while remaining silent. So many questions were spinning around in my head, it made me dizzy and nauseas.

A warm hand suddenly wrapped around mine. I glanced up at Ikuto as he smiled down at me. "Have fun," he said. "Forget about the past."

I smiled back and nodded. "Yeah."

Ikuto and I walked to the docks, me running ahead. I wonder how scary the rollercoasters are. What about the cotton candy and other junk foods? I hope they're yummy! My stomach growled, seconding that.

"Hurry up, Ikuto. You're so slow!" I said as I stood before the ticket booth.

He flicked my forehead as he approached. "Annoying much."

"Ow," I muttered as I rubbed my forehead and stuck my tongue out at my brother.

"Two," Ikuto said to the brunette women at the booth.

She smiled and took the money Ikuto gave her before letting us in. As we passed I got this ominous feeling that even sent a shiver down my spine.

"That girl gives me a bad feeling," I whispered to Ikuto.

"Huh? Her?" He asked and glanced over his shoulder real fast. "How come?"

I shrugged. "She just does."

_**Welcome to Lala Land Amusement Park. Enjoy!**_ the intercom repeated over and over again.

"Lala Land Amusement Park," I whispered.

"Where do you want to go first, Nova?" Ikuto asked as he glanced around. "It sure is packed here."

I nodded.

_Pop! Pop!_

"Wow. You got all of them!"

I glanced towards the sounds that had suddenly caught my attention. A boy and girl were standing in front of a duck shooting game. The boy was holding the rifle like a pro as the girl clapped happily and laughed.

_That boy. He reminds me of someone. But I can't remember who._

The boy had a bored look on his face as he straightened up and put the gun down. He had black hair like me, but his was fashionably messy and his bangs covered one eye.

I pointed to the game. "I want to try out that one," I said and ran ahead of Ikuto. I approached the game just as the girl was given a large white teddy bear.

I reached into my pocket and put a dollar on the counter. "Mind if I try?" I asked the man behind the counter and gave him a smirk.

The man smiled and handed me a different rifle before starting up the game.

"Get as many as you can in two minutes," the man said.

I nodded and closed my red eye. I focused as best I could and shot.

_Missed! Damn!_

Another shot, another miss.

"Here," a male voice said behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder curiously at the boy who was with the girl. He reached for the rifle and moved it a bit as I continued to hold it.

"You're focusing to much," he said. "Too stiff. Just relax, then shoot."

I nodded, a feeling of déjà vu coming over me. "T-thanks," I said and looked at the butterscotch rubber ducks.

I shot and . . .

"I got one!" I said happily and shot again. Another duck down! Then another, and another, and another! Once my time was up, I had taken down about forty ducks.

"Wow," came Ikuto's voice. I turned to him and grinned. I am so awesome. I know, I know.

Ikuto turned to the boy who had helped me. "Good thing you were here. Otherwise she'd be stuck at this game until she got at least one duck."

"Hey!" I shouted and grabbed the stuffed black rabbit the man gave me. It was big, but a bit smaller than the girl's. I nodded in thanks.

The boy glanced at Ikuto briefly, then at me. "Have we met before?" He asked.

"Huh? Um, no. I don't think so," I answered. He must be feeling the same thing as me then. Weird.

"Orion, let's go try out the other games," the girl said with a smile and wrapped one of her arms around one of his as her other hand held the stuffed bear.

_Orion. . ._

The boy, Orion, nodded and walked away with the girl.

"Well that was weird," Ikuto said as we also walked away.

"Weird? Why?"

He shrugged. "There was just something off about that guy. Hmm. Sort of like what you said about the women at the ticket booth."

"Now you know how I felt. But . . . That boy. I also feel like we've met before."

"You do?"

I nodded. "But I doubt it. I'm good at remembering faces, but I don't remember his."

Ikuto hummed in response.

"Amazing! So rare! Amazing!"

Ikuto and I both stopped in our tracks and stared at the person shouting. A clown with hot pink hair, wearing a blue nose and red jumpsuit with yellow polka dots, jumped over to us and leaned close to my face. I gasped and leaned away.

Way. Too. Close.

"Your eyes!" The male clown chimed. "So rare! Red and blue! A true phenomena!"

"Uhhh. . ." Was all I could manage to say.

"A true freak of nature!"

"Hey!" Ikuto and I shouted in unison. Good. My brain was back to working.

"But it's true! How would you like to be in our freak show? I bet the audience would just _adore_ those eyes of yours. Hey! That rhymed!" He said, laughed, then honked his blue nose.

"I am not a freak!" I snapped. "And I will not be in your cruel show!"

The clown frowned his red lipstick lips and cocked his head to the side. "Cruel? How so?"

"How so?" I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Seriously? You point out people's strangeness and mock them for it just to get a stupid profit! It's good being unique, but it shouldn't be abused!"

The clown smirked at me. "So you're saying we shouldn't exploit them? If that is the case, then why have them born in such a way? They were born to be used, otherwise they would be normal."

A sick being. I looked up at Ikuto who was also glaring at the clown. "Come on," I said and stormed off.

"What was with that guy?" Ikuto hissed.

I shrugged and glanced up, my eyes making contact with a black and white, humongous rollercoaster. I smiled and pointed up to it.

"There."

Ikuto chuckled. "Of course. It isn't fun unless you go on a rollercoaster."

"Exactly!" I chimed happily when a loud roar suddenly made me jump in fright.

I glanced over towards the noise and saw three large lions being brought into a tent by a large cage with wheels. Watching them gave me the sudden urge to go into the tent.

"No. Let's go here first," I said and walked into the tent where a crowd was already sitting down, happily chatting and laughing as they waited anxiously for the show to start.

Ikuto and I found a seat near the back and just as we sat down, the lights went out and a simple spotlight was turned on.

"That clown again!" I hissed.

The clown from seriously no less than five minutes ago was standing on a pink and yellow platform, baggy sleeved arms up in the air.

"Welcome everyone to the show of a _laugh _time." The clown laughed and so did most of the crowd. Ikuto and I remained silent.

"Let's get out of here," Ikuto murmured.

I nodded. "I should have stuck with the rollercoaster."

We both began heading towards the exit of the tent when strange music began to play. It was carnival music, but something about it was off to me. I shrugged. Maybe the intercom is just messed up or the CD the music is from.

I glanced over my shoulder to say something to Ikuto and noticed he was standing in his place, not moving as he glanced back at the arena.

"Ikuto, come on," I said as I clutched the stuffed animal.

"On second that, I'll stay and watch," he said.

"Huh? But you just said you wanted to go."

He shrugged and went back to his seat. That was weird, but if he wants to watch then I guess it doesn't matter. I'll just go and play some games until he comes out.

I left the blue and yellow striped tent, the messed up music still playing. Ugh. Where is the DJ so I can complain about the lousy noise.

"Mama, let's go to the tent," a little girl's voice said in a dreamy fashion.

"Alright," the mother replied in the same way.

I watched both of them curiously as they entered the tent looking dazed and disoriented. Following them were more and more people. At this rate the tent would be way too crowded to fit everyone in.

"That tent looks fun," a vaguely familiar voice said.

The girl who was with that Orion guy was in the line to enter the tent, the bear still in her arms. Behind her was Orion. He was glancing around the place a little cautiously.

"I'm going to get something to drink," he said.

"No, Orion!" the girl protested and pulled him along. "Let's go into the tent. Come on, come on."

Orion reluctantly agreed and went with the girl into the tent. He sent me a quick glance as we passed paths, but no words were said. What could be said? We didn't even know each other.

I went so go sit down on a nearby bench and stared up at the starry sky. So many stars. I always loved to stare up at them. Such pretty little diamonds.

"Hey you!"

"Eh?" I glanced over my shoulder and saw a women in a strange black and red striped dress standing behind me. Her blonde hair was kept in a perfect French braid, only a few strands of hair loose. Her arms were crossed as she glared at me with her brown eyes.

"Why are you not in the tent?" she asked.

"Um, I'm not interested," I said with a bit of an attitude.

"But all must go in it. Immediately."

"Why the hell should I?" I continued to argue. "I don't want to!"

The women grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet, making me drop my stuffed rabbit. Before I could go and grab it, she was pulling me away towards the tent.

"Let me go!" I shouted and winced as her gripped tightened. "I don't want to go!"

"Why isn't the music affecting her?" I heard whispers around us.

I glanced around curiously and saw some of the other workers staring at me strangely, as if I were a piece of dirt to all of them and they just wanted to get rid of me.

"The music?" I whispered to myself.

The women holding me moved the curtain to the tent and pushed me inside. "Give yourself to our ruler!" she shouted and cackled as she closed the curtain.

I turned towards the exit and ran to it, but there was suddenly nothing but wall! There was no exit!

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself.

The music around us suddenly got louder, I covered my ears from the volume and looked at everyone sitting on the benches. One by one they began to fall asleep and tumbled to the side. I looked around and saw Ikuto near the top of the bleachers. His eyes were closed and he tumbled forward.

"Ikuto!" I shouted and ran over to him. I patted his cheek. "Wake up! What the hell are you doing? Wake up!"

His eyes remained shut and he looked to be getting paler. I stood up and looked around the tent. My eyes landed on the clown, his hands were extended up towards the sky as he began to laugh sadistically.

"All the energy! Eternal youth will be ours!"

I sucked my teeth and took in a deep breathe. "HEY YOU! YOU DAMN FREAK!"

The clown gasped and glanced up at me. He glared angrily. "How are you not under the spell?"

I took notice of his now piercing red eyes, elongated and pointy ears, and sharp claws and teeth. He must be like that women that kidnapped me. So does this mean . . . ?

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the silver cross. I smirked. "Well, if I did it once, I can do it again, right?"

"ROYAL CRYSTAL, MAKE UP!" I shouted and transformed into the sailor outfit from before. I glared at the clown. "How dare you use innocent entertainment for your own tainted ways!"

"A Sailor Senshi?"

There was that phrase again. What the heck is a Sailor Senshi? Oh well. Attack first, ask questions later.

"I, Sailor Nirvana, will not allow you to get away with this!" I said and reached into the air and the scythe I had used last time appeared in my hand.

I smiled and jumped down onto the stage. The clown merely smirked back and pointed to a colorful door. "Release the cats!"

The doors swung open and the three lions from earlier jumped out. I gasped and jumped out of the way as one came charging towards me and tried clawing my neck. The lions weren't even normal, though! They had all turned black with dark blue manes, their eyes blood red, and their size had doubled. They were huge!

"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought," I muttered and jumped out of the way again as the second lion tried to get me.

I heard the crowd cheering, but when I looked up, everyone was still unconscious.

"Can you hear them?" the clown laughed like a mad man. "They are enjoying this! Let's make them cheer louder! THIS WILL BE THE BEST SHOW OF ALL TIMES!"

I sucked my teeth and jumped onto a trapeze wire. The lions just growled and roared from the floor below. Had. They couldn't get me now, could they?

Spoke too soon! The lions suddenly sprouted dark blue wings and flew up to where I was. I screamed and jumped away, but there was nothing else for me to jump onto. I began falling down towards the floor below.

_Not good! I'm going to get crushed! _I thought and shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the quick pain and then my death. But instead, someone quickly grabbed me.

I opened my eyes as the person placed me down and stood before me. It was a man, that part was obvious by the muscular build. I couldn't see his face under the black hood he was wearing. His pants were black leather with chains, he also had on black combat boots, and his black hoody was sleeveless and reached just above his bellybutton.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," I said and stood up.

The three lions stood behind the clown, all four creatures staring intently at the mysterious man and I. I reached for my scythe that had fallen near by and prepared to fight.

"Who are you anyways?" I asked the guy.

He turned his head slightly towards me. "Hunter," he said.

"Hunter?"

He nodded and shot forward.

"W-watch out!" I shouted as the three lions lunged for him all at once.

He stayed completely calm and kicked all three lions away. The clown gasped and began running off.

"Hey you!" I shouted and ran after him, leaving the mystery boy behind. "I won't let you get away! What did you do to Ikuto?"

I ran out the tent into the night air and looked around quickly. I found the clown immediately and ran after him as he ran towards the rollercoaster. He stopped right in front of the gates leading to the ride. I had him now.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked mockingly. "Nowhere to run now."

He turned towards me and smiled wickedly. "Is that so, Sailor Senshi?"

A screeching noise echoed through the air. I quickly covered my ears to block out the noise. "What is that?" I shouted.

The clown just laughed and laughed. "You should have joined the Freak Show. I could have spared you."

"Go to hell," I growled just as one of the roller coaster carts came hurdling towards me. Out of quick instincts I sliced through the cart with my scythe.

Wow. This weapon was really good.

Five more carts came flying at me. I couldn't slice through all of them, so I began jumping from one to the other until I was close enough to the clown.

He gasped. "No!"

Words appeared in my head like the last time I fought. I swung down my scythe, slicing through the evil clown. "Atonement Of The Stars!"

He shouted, then everything went silent. The music had stopped and, to my shock, the amusement park began to slowly disappear. So it was all fake.

"Sailor Nirvana!"

I looked up towards one of the light posts and saw Hunter standing there.

"That clown was controlling everyone who worked here. They won't remember anything once they wake up, along with the people in the tent."

I nodded. So that women who forced me into the tent was being used herself.

"Wait, Hunter!" I shouted as he turned away. He looked over at me. "Are you . . . Do you know what a Sailor Senshi is?" I asked.

He chuckled. "I barely know who I am, let alone you." with that, he left.

I sighed. So many questions are popping up, but I don't think I can find all the answers.

I gasped loudly. "Ikuto!" I ran back to where the tent was and saw everyone sprawled around on the floor. I transformed back into my normal clothes and ran to where Ikuto was. I shook him to wake him up. "Ikuto, are you okay? Ikuto!"

He groaned and looked up at me. "Nova?"

"Good. You're okay."

"What the hell happened? Where are we anyways?"

So Hunter was right. Ikuto has no memory at all about what happened or how we got here. Thank goodness.

"Let's just go home, Onii-chan," I said.

Ikuto chuckled. "You haven't called me that in so long."

I shrugged and helped him up. We started walking back to the parking lot. I was so tired from fighting. Why do I have to fight anyways? Does it have something to do with me being a Sailor Senshi? What is that anyways? And that clown. He was talking about eternal youth.

"Hey. What's this?" Ikuto asked.

I snapped out of my daydreaming and looked at the car. A stuffed black rabbit sat on the hood of the car. The rabbit I had won. How did it get over here?

I grabbed the animal and stared at questionably. Weird. But, then again, what hasn't been weird today.

"Nova?"

I chuckled and got into the car. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so," Ikuto said as we drove away from the docks.

_The docks. They hold such bad memories, and now another has been added. But, at the same time, I feel like I made a good memory._

I smiled and rested my head on the stuffed rabbit.

* * *

_**Yay! Another chapter done. This one wasn't really what I was planning, but it works. Anyways, please review and look forward to the next chapter. See ya!**_

_**~Alice Michaelis**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**~Chapter 3: The Virgin Of The Stars. The Miraculous Ballerina!**_

* * *

(? P. O. V)

"I-I can't find her!"

"What? How come?"

"It seems that once she transformed again for the first time, the silver crystal hid her."

"It is the same with the others."

"Not good. Not good at all."

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

I yawned as I exited the school and glanced around the area. Seeing as I had no school tomorrow, I began making my way towards the arcade even though Ikuto didn't like me hanging around there.

_I don't like the people who hang out at that place. They're too shady. _He always said.

Pfft! If only he knew that I was technically the boss there. Everyone was scared of _me_, not the other way around.

I stood in front of the door as it slid open by itself. I walked into the arcade.

"Tsukino-san, you're back."

I glanced over my shoulder and smiled. "Hey Onee-sama," I said and smiled at the worker here, Sakura. . . Uh . . . I only knew her first name since it was on her nametag. She's pretty cool and reminds me of an older version of me, which is why I call her my older sister even though we're not actually related.

"Did you hear?" she asked and pointed over to the corner of the room where my favorite game _Sailor V _was. "My dad's getting rid of the Sailor V game."

"What?" I gasped loudly. "He can't! It's my favorite game!"

Sakura nodded and put a finger to her lips as she winked at me. "But guess what, he's going to be putting the new Sailor V game. Sailor V: REBORN."

"Sailor V . . . Reborn?" I asked. I suddenly smiled a huge grin and jumped into the air. "Yay! A new one! Hey, Onee-sama, does this mean better graphics?" I asked anxiously.

"You better believe it. It's a simulator game, so the player will feel like they're actually in the game when they put the headgear on."

So it's one of those games. OMG this is so cool! I seriously felt like exploding with happiness! Yes, I'm a videogame otaku, but I just can't help it, videogames are awesome!

"But keep it a secret okay," Sakura whispered. "I'm not even suppose to tell anyone, but since you like the game so much and since I trust you, I thought I'd let at least you know."

I nodded and put a finger to my lips. "Secrets safe with me," I whispered and then went to play Sailor V before they removed it and I got on the new one. I just can't wait for that one to come out! I'm so excited!

When I was so close to beating my last score—which was the highest score on the whole game—my cellphone began to ring loudly from inside my black, leather bag. I pulled it out while still staying focused on the game, no way was I going to be distracted.

"H-He . . . llo?" I asked, too focused to even talk properly.

"Nova, I'm gonna be late getting home today, can you cook?" Ikuto asked. I could hear the cameras going off in the background and the photographer telling the models what to do.

"Um . . . Sure . . . Cook . . . Yeah."

There was a long pause, then suddenly Ikuto shouted, "You're at that arcade, aren't you!"

I froze, but it was okay because I had already beat the boss and the next level hadn't started yet. "Nooo," I said slowly.

"Nova Tsukino!" Uh-oh, he used my full name. "I told you I didn't want you there! It's a shady place!"

"But you're always hanging around shady places and people," I said, trying to defend myself as I began playing again. Jump, kick, kick, punch, kick! Yeah!

"I'm older and I'm able to defend myself, unlike you. You can easily be taken advantage of and won't even know how to defend yourself."

I rolled my eyes. If only he knew about me being a senshi. I've dealt with things way worse than bullies and nerds. And even before I became a senshi, I was fighting and winning.

"Go home, now," he ordered.

"When . . . I'm done."

"Nova, if you don't, I'll go there and drag you out myself. Just like last time."

I hesitated for a brief second, costing me my last life in the game and game over. Ugh! Damn. Well, at least I beat my last high score.

"Fine," I groaned.

I hung up the phone and quickly put my initials in the high score screen. I glumly grabbed the school bag and said goodbye to Sakura as I left the arcade.

"Stupid Ikuto," I grumbled. "Always ordering me around, he's not the boss of me! And why does he get all the freedom while I'm trapped in a cage like a bird? Jerk."

As I stepped onto the corner something rammed into me, making me fall onto my butt. Everything in my bag fell out, including the cross brooch, which I should have been wearing instead of just putting in my bag.

"Fuck," I grumbled and began putting my stuff back just as someone groaned. I looked up and saw what had hit me and a person lying on the floor. A wheelchair had hit me and was now lying on its side, one of the wheels still turning as the person lying next to it continued to groan. It was a petite girl with short, wavy blonde hair. She was in what sort of looked like a flannel nightgown.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I asked quickly and put the chair up right and then went to help put the girl in it.

She nodded. "T-thank you," she said and opened her dazed eyes to look at me. They were a pretty jade. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I didn't mean to ram into you. Those girls pushed me down the hi-where did they go?" she asked as she was about to point up the street where she had been pushed down.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw nobody either. "Dumb cowards. They're disgusting, pushing you down a hill."

"I'm used to it," she murmured.

"Huh? You mean this is frequent? Why don't you ask for help?" I said and picked up the last of my things and put them in my bag. I put the brooch on, right in the middle of the red bow on my school uniform.

"That's a pretty brooch. And your eyes are pretty too," the girl said.

"Don't change the subject," I said sternly and crossed my arms.

She smiled. "I'm not. I just tend to get off topic sometimes. Anyways, I don't ask for help because I don't like to bother people with my troubles. Also, my protectors won't be around all the time."

I huffed and stuck out my hand stubbornly towards the girl. "Names Nova Tsukino. What's your name?"

"K-Kiseki Takami," she said and shook my hand.

"Where do you live?" I said as I grabbed the handles of the chair.

"Um, I can go home myself. Please, don't trouble yourself."

"Usually, I wouldn't. But I want to make sure those girls don't come back." That was a lie. I kind of wanted them to come back, so I could kick their asses! How dare they pick on the defenseless!

"Okay," Kiseki murmured and pointed up the hill. "Just go up there, then take a right, then a left."

I nodded and began pushing her along the way.

"Um, Tsukino-san?"

"You can call me Nova," I said.

"Alright. Nova, where did you get that brooch. It really has caught my attention."

"Well, actually," I said and thought back to the day I got it. Kiseki won't believe me if I told her I got it from a weird bunny who hopped onto the second floor of my school. Well, more like I took it because it dropped it. Hmm. I wonder if that bunny had something to do with me being a senshi now that I think about it. I mean, I do use the cross to transform.

"Nova-san?"

"Huh? Oh! Um, I found it," I lied. "While I was walking home from school."

"I see. You're lucky. I would love to found something as pretty as that."

I nodded. If only she knew.

I turned right, then left and went down the street. "Where do we go now?" I asked.

"Just keep going straight," Kiseki said and pointed ahead. "We're almost there."

As we approached the end of the street, I suddenly got confused. "Um, Kiseki, isn't this-"

"A hospital? Yes. I live here."

"But . . ." I trailed off as we entered the building.

"I don't have parents," Kiseki began explaining. "Well, not that I know of."

"You mean you have amnesia?"

She nodded her blonde head as we now were in the lobby. I sat down and glanced over at Kiseki as I held my head up with my hands.

"I don't know anything," she said. "I just remember waking up in an alley next to the hospital, all I remembered was my name. When I tried to stand, I couldn't. So I've been paralyzed from the waist down for as long as I can remember."

I remained silent, my mind processing everything I was just told.

"I wonder what happened to me," Kiseki continued. "Did my family just abandon me there because I'm like this? I can't help but ask so many questions, yet I will admit," she said and smiled towards me. "I'm afraid to find out the answers," she giggled.

I stared at her with wide eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Something wrong, Nova-san?"

"No," I said and stood up. "Do those girls know you live here?" I asked.

Kiseki nodded. "Yes. That's how they found me, when one of them got sent to the hospital and noticed I was always here every time she came."

I nodded.

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask, Nova-san, can you bring me to my room please?"

"Sure. Just tell me where to go."

"Thank you."

I brought Kiseki to her room and was amazed at what I saw. Her room must have been a normal hospital room before, but it had been converted into a normal-ish bedroom. The TV still hung up above on the wall and there was the typical hospital windows and blinds, which, I might add, the blinds were pink. Don't see that everyday. The bed had been pushed against the wall and had baby pink and hot pink frilly pillows, along with a baby pink blanket with white frill trimming. The oak dresser next to the bed had a small white lamp with hot pink frill trimming and a laptop. Against the other wall by the door was a white desk full of papers and books. The walls were adorned with pictures of ballet dancers; two pairs of ballet shoes, one white and the other pink; and ribbons.

In other words, this room was really girly.

"Woah," I chuckled.

Kiseki giggled and wheeled over to her desk. I took another look at the books on their and saw that most of them were about ballet.

"So you're a ballet freak, I take?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. I just find it so wonderful. The movements are so graceful and it looks fun. But . . . Of course I can never dance."

I didn't say anything. Just then, the door opened and a nurse stepped in. A handsome man with olive skin and dirty blonde hair with dark eyes. He looks slightly like a foreigner.

"Ah, Luke," Kiseki sighed. "Is it time for my checkup already?"

He gave her a crooked smile and nodded. "Yes," he said with an accent, I couldn't tell from where. "Your doctor is waiting for you."

Kiseki turned to me and smiled. "Sorry I have to leave so soon."

"Oh, no. It's alright. I have to get back home and start cooking anyways. Um, do you have a cellphone, Kiseki?"

She nodded and handed me a pink phone. I flipped it open and saved my number in it. Huh? My number is the only one in here. Does that mean she has no friends? I pushed that thought aside, it's rude to think like that when I hardly know her. I handed back the phone.

"There. If those girls ever come back and bother you, or if you just want to hang out, you can reach me."

Kiseki stared at the phone in shock for a moment before smiling the happiest she's ever smiled today. "Alright. Thank you, Nova-san."

I nodded once and waved goodbye as I left the room. It was dark when I stepped outside into the street.

I groaned. "Ikuto is gonna kill me if I don't hurry up and cook before he gets home. He'll end up thinking I was at the arcade this whole time."

I quickly ran as fast as I could home. Unfortunately for me, Ikuto was already there, and when I opened the door, the yelling began.

"Nova! Where were you? I told you to leave that arcade quickly!"

"Damn it."

* * *

I sighed and sat beside my bed, resting my head on the soft mattress as the rest of my body sat on the floor, still in my school uniform. "Ikuto is such a meanie," I whined. "No allowance for a month? How am I going to buy candy and pastries? And I can't even play the Sailor V REBORN game if it comes out this month."

I sighed and stared out my window. A perfect crescent moon tonight. So pretty.

I thought about what Kiseki had told me, about her waking up in the alley, not remembering anything but her name.

"I wonder . . ." I whispered and trailed off as I continued to stare up at the glowing silver moon.

"Nova." Ikuto opened my room door and took a step in. "Hmm? Is something wrong, Nova? Why are you on the ground?"

"The moon," I whispered. "I feel like I'm being sucked in. Like it's pulling me towards it."

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "I don't know." I glanced over at Ikuto. "Something you needed?"

Ikuto walked over to me and sat down by my side. He leaned against the side of my bed and stared up at the ceiling. "That thing you told me to get fixed, they said they couldn't do it."

"Why not?" I asked angrily and sat up straight. "You mean they've waited two month, just to tell us they _can't_?"

He shushed me. "Calm down. And yeah, I guess. They said they couldn't understand it. It was just too advance for them."

"Advanced? But it's just a normal pocket watch!"

"That's what I said. But apparently it's not. They were pretty shocked about it and started asking me a bunch of questions. Anyways, here." Ikuto reached into his pocket and handed me the pocket watch I had asked him to fix for me.

I sighed and stared down at the star shaped watch with the pretty design of the night, noon, and morning in the background.

"Maybe it doesn't tell time in the normal sense," I whispered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," I said and placed the watch under my pillow where it had belonged before.

Ikuto nodded and stood up to leave. "And I know you're angry about me grounding you, but if you had just listened to me in the first place-"

"Stop being so protective," I grumbled. "I can take care of myself."

"You say that . . . And I bet you can . . . But . . ."

"But?" I asked impatiently.

Ikuto shrugged. "I just get this ominous feeling sometimes. Like something is watching you, waiting for the right moment to get you. And I think you feel it sometimes too, right?" he asked and glanced back at me with stormy gray eyes full of mystery.

I stared back at him in silence because Ikuto's words were right. Sometimes I did get that feeling, but I always put it as me just being paranoid, but now that Ikuto said that . . .

Ikuto turned away and left the room silently, leaving me to think.

"Things are getting confusing again," I whispered to myself.

* * *

"UWAAAAHHHHH! I'M LATE! I'M LATE!"

"Not so loud," Ikuto groaned as he poured himself some coffee.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked as I ran around the house, trying to get ready as fast as possible.

"I just woke up myself."

"Damn it!" I shouted and ran out the door. "I'm leaving!"

I ran as fast as I could down the street. Run, run, run as fast as you can! No detention for me, I'm not getting yelled at again!

I passed by a small crowd of people in front of a TV store, but I didn't care and kept running, that is, until I heard-

_**Five more children have gone missing. All were said to be residing in the Shibuya Hospital.**_

I ran back and tried to sneak a peak at the televisions. You see, Kiseki is at Shibuya Hospital. When they showed the pictures of the missing children, none of them were Kiseki, but they were all very young. About seven years old at the most.

"Could it be another monster?" I murmured, my mind instantly going to the first monster I fought, then the one at the circus. I looked at my watch, I was already five minutes late. I shrugged. Might as well not go. I'd rather check this out instead.

I started heading away from my school and towards the hospital. When I was close I spotted a huge crowd of people from the media. They were all shouting questions at someone. I got on my tip toes and glanced at who it was.

"Luke?" I asked as I spotted the one being questioned. The handsome nurse from yesterday stood with his hands behind his back and talked with a calm face as he answered questions about the missing children.

I quietly snuck into the hospital, not bothering to stay around the media frenzy any longer.

"Nova-san!"

"Eh?" I looked over my shoulder and saw Kiseki sitting by a large window, a picture book on her lap as she read to a group of little kids surrounding her.

_Little kids. _I thought. _What if Kiseki is . . . Hmm. It's possible. _

I walked over to her and waved. "Morning."

"Good morning," she said with a smile and looked at my outfit. "Um, shouldn't you be in school, Nova-san?"

"I was going to be late, and I don't want to get yelled at, so I decided not to go." I then looked at the little kids and pointed at all of them. "But you guys have to stay in school! Don't listen to me. I'm not a good example."

All of they smiled adorably and nodded. Oh! I want them all! They're just so cute! So small and adorable! Focus, Nova! Right.

"Onee-sama," a little girl said and tugged at the bottom of my black skirt. "Why is your skirt so short?"

"Wha-?" I asked, an embarrassed blush crossing over my face.

"Onee-sama," another child said, this one a little boy, and tugged the tip of my black hair. "Why is your hair so long? And why do your odangos look like usagi ears?"

"W-well . . ." I said and trailed off.

"U-uh, that's enough everyone. Your questions are a bit mean," Kiseki stuttered nervously.

The other kids ignored her and all ran to me.

"Onee-sama, you're tall. Are you a model?" one girl asked.

"No, but my brother is," I answered.

"Onee-sama, do you like bwocalli?" a small boy, he looked three, missing his two front teeth asked adorably. Ooh! I just wanted to hug him!

I shook my head and crossed my arms. "Nope. I like strawberries and sweets."

"Onee-sama is so cool," another boy chimed.

Wow. Never thought I would be popular with the little kids. W-wait a second! I have to focus! I'm not here to be interviewed by adorable children. I came to talk to Kiseki.

"Excuse me," I said. "I need to have a chat with Kiseki, alright?"

All the kids nodded and ran/skipped out the room. I glanced at Kiseki as she put the book she was reading to the kids back on the short shelf where she had gotten it from.

"Hey, mind coming with me for a bit?" I asked and pointed my thumb over my shoulder.

"Sure. Where?"

"Arcade," I said, knowing Sakura liked to open early so it would be open, and I had a bit more money left to play. "But you can't tell anyone I was there. Alright? I'm not suppose to."

"Nova-san is a rebellious girl, I see."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not rebellious. I'm just a free spirit. Now come on!" I said cheerfully and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. "Ever play videogames before?"

"Um, no."

"Well, I'll teach ya. It'll be fun."

"But what if the police see you? They'll wonder why you're not in school."

"Oh. Right," I said slowly. I looked around and- "Bingo." I grabbed a trench coat that was hanging on the coat rack and put it on. "There. Now, let's go."

"But that's not yours, Nova-san."

"Don't worry, Kiseki, I'll return it. Let's go." I wheeled Kiseki out the hospital, and made sure to avoid the eyes of the few remaining media members who were still outside. As we passed, Luke glanced at us and made a shiver run down my spine. The look he had just given us was so evil and cold.

I looked away quickly and just focused on bringing Kiseki to the arcade.

"Nova-san, have you heard about the disappearing children?"

Well, what do you know. Kiseki beat me to the punch.

"Yeah," I said. "Did you know them?"

"Yes. I read to the children all the time, so I knew them well."

"What do you think happened to them?" I asked.

Kiseki shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm worried. Weird things have been happening in the hospital. The doctors aren't as warm and friendly as before, and the nurses have changed as well."

This was really catching my interest. "When did it start?"

"About around the same time that Luke was hired. Poor man. He is the only kind one now, and he has to be around such cold people."

Hmm.

We both entered the arcade, which was only filled with the drop out college students and otaku who seemed to be in their own little world as they fantasized about girls that would never exist.

"This place is strange, Nova-san."

"Only in the morning," I murmured.

"Tsukino-san, you're early. Shouldn't you be in school?" Oh boy. Sakura wasn't working today. Instead, it was her obnoxious cousin, Ren Sakigami. He's a total jerk and complains way more than me, mostly it's about him working here. What's worse is that he hangs out with Ikuto from time to time, so he might rat me out.

I stuck my tongue out at the annoying white haired boy. He raised an eyebrow at my reaction before chuckling and turning away.

"Hey, Ren," I said in a serious tone.

"I know you're banned at the moment, your brother told me," he said, his back still turned to me. "I won't tell, just as long as you don't bug me."

"Deal."

"He's cute," Kiseki whispered. I stared down at her in shock. Has she lost her marbles or something? Him, cute? No way. Annoying, obnoxious, and ugly is more like it.

I looked around the arcade and noticed Sailor V was gone. I pouted. "They already took it out," I muttered.

"Took what out, Nova-san?"

"My favorite game. But I guess we can play something el-"

Kiseki suddenly gasped loudly and pointed. "There! That game! I want to play that game!"

I followed her finger and saw she was pointing at a game about dancing. That's right. She likes ballet and stuff.

Before I could bring her there, Kiseki rolled herself to the game and placed some money into the machine to begin playing. I stood behind her as she put the goggles on and began playing the reality simulation game. I smiled and watched as she played.

"Nova-san, I'm dancing! I can move my legs in this game!" she said happily.

"Yeah," I said and smiled. I sat on a seat near by and watched her play. She was smiling so much, her cheeks so pink from happiness, that I was shocked to see a tear roll down her face.

"Kiseki?" I asked.

She sniffed and took the goggles off. "It's fun . . . But it also makes me hate my legs even more."

"Don't say that!" I said sternly just as something popped out of the machine. I grabbed it and handed it to Kiseki. "Look, you got a prize."

"A prize?" she asked in confusion as I handed her the pretty necklace with a large amulet showing the symbol of Virgo. "Wow. It looks too pretty to be from an arcade game."

I laughed. "Well it is."

"Takami-san!" a voice blurted out from the door.

We both turned towards it and saw Luke walking towards us. He looked a bit upset as he stood before us, his arms crossed.

"You shouldn't be here. You're suppose to be in the hospital. You have another check up."

"Another one?" Kiseki sighed. "But . . . I was playing with my friend."

Luke turned his gaze towards me and once again a shiver ran down my spine as I glanced into his cold eyes. So cold. I could feel my bones chilling in the inside. He turned back to Kiseki.

"Now, Takami-san. The doctors are trying there best to help you, but they can't unless you are there as well."

The blonde girl sighed and put the amulet around her neck. "Alright. I'm sorry again, Nova-san."

"It's fine," I said and waved goodbye as they left. I glared at the door when Luke was out of sight.

"Something is up with that guy."

"What do you mean?" I asked and turned towards Ren who seemed to pop out of nowhere.

"Come on, Nova, I know you're a sharp kid. You noticed it too. Those cold eyes, that dark look. He's a bad guy."

I looked back at the door. "Yeah. But what can I do about it?"

He shrugged and stared at me intently with gold eyes. "You tell me."

I clutched the cross brooch that hung on my red bow, suddenly I was determined. "See ya, Ren. And don't tell Ikuto I was here, please." Ugh! I can't believe I just said please to Ren. _Ren._

"Secrets safe with me," he said and waved his hand in a bored manner.

Weird. Ren seems a little nicer than usual. I shook my head. Must be my imagination.

I ran out the arcade and went into a back alley to transform. I held the brooch into the air and-

"Royal Crystal, Make Up!"

The warm light quickly consumed me and I was back into my strange outfit. A white bodice with a purple collar and skirt with gray trimming. A gray bow adorned the front of my white bodice with a red star in the center. A long, red bow hung on my back and matched my red wrist bands, earrings, and red star on my gray chocker. Under my bangs was my silver crown with the golden star in the center. I was Sailor Nirvana once again.

I jumped up onto the roof of a building, my gray boots clacking against the cement as I ran from roof to roof to get to the hospital. I jumped onto the roof of the hospital and kicked down the door on the roof to get into the hospital. I ran down the stairs and entered the third floor.

"What the . . ?" I trailed off as I stepped into the middle of the empty and dimly lit hallway. It looked creepy, but I couldn't help thinking it was cool.

I'm so weird.

"EYAAHHH!" a piercing cry echoed through the hallway, making me jump.

"Kiseki!" I shouted and ran towards the noise. It came from one of the rooms in the ER. I kicked open the door and everyone gasped, turning away from the poor pale Kiseki who lay on the examination table crying.

I pointed at the doctors and nurses. "How dare you hurt an innocent girl with a beautiful dream!"

"Who the hell are you?" Luke demanded, his eyes suddenly pitch black.

"I'm Sailor Nirvana, the rebellious sailor suited senshi of family, love, and justice! And in the name of the stars and moon, I'll correct your sins!" Whoa. Where the heck did that speech/catchphrase come from? I've never said that before. But, oh well! It's cool so I'm keeping it.

"So you're the senshi who's been destroying our fellow youmas!" Luke shouted and suddenly began to morph into a beast. As he did, all the doctors and nurses collapsed and Kiseki screamed.

"I knew you were evil," I mumbled as he finished transforming and revealed himself as an extremely pale beast with blood red bat wings, sharp teeth, pure black eyes, sharp ears, and sharp nails. He looked sort of like a demon. Is that what a youma is?

"I am Lamia," Luke, the youma, said in a deep voice.

I prepared to fight. Lamia pounced on me and I quickly dodged him, but not his attack.

"Shrieking Darkness!"

Shadows suddenly turned into bats and surrounded me. I covered my ears as they shrieked, making my ears ring. They clawed at my skin and bit into my skin. I cried out in pain and began swatting them away frantically.

"Get away from me!" I shouted.

"I got you now, Sailor Nirvana!" Lamia laughed and pounced towards me again, his claws aimed at my throat.

"NO! DON'T HURT HER!" Kiseki shouted and I noticed a sudden light on her forehead in the shape of the sign of Virgo. The pendant around her neck also began to shine and a bright light suddenly consumed her.

"What is this?" Lamia demanded and jumped away from me, his eyes now fixed on my new friend.

When the light vanished, I was speechless. Kiseki's whole outfit had changed. She was no longer in a baby blue flannel dress, instead she was in an outfit similar to mine. She had the same white bodice, but her white sleeves were puffy, unlike mine. Her wavy blonde hair was still loose, and in the back a pinkish-purple bow decorated her hair. She had the silver crown, but her gem was a neon orange-red, just like her collar and chocker. The bow on the front of her outfit was also a pinkish-purple like the hair ribbon, and it had a neon orange-red gem in the center. Her ballet flats, first layer of her skirt, and trimming of her gloves were also the same neon colors. The second layer of her skirt was pinkish-purple, along with the bow on the back of her outfit and the earrings she wore. She also wore white stockings and white gloves that reached her elbows.

"Kiseki! You're a . . . a senshi?" I asked as she sat up and looked at her hands and outfit.

"A senshi?" she whispered.

"Damn it! Now I have to kill two!" Lamia shouted and was ready to pounce again.

"Watch out, Kiseki!" I shouted and summoned my scythe. "Leave her alon-EYAH!" Lamia had slammed me into the far wall and a few scalpels stabbed into my arms and legs.

"Nova-san!" Kiseki shouted and . . . Jumped off the table?

"K-Kiseki," I stuttered, too shocked to feel the pain.

"I'm . . . my legs . . ." she was speechless too. "I . . . I can walk! I can walk now! I can dance!" she laughed and jumped up and down, using her legs.

"That's great. But right now, we have to fight," I said and struggled to get up.

"Why won't you two just hurry up and die!" the youma shouted.

"Back off!" Kiseki shouted and twirled around before kicking the youma square in the stomach, sending him flying. Kiseki then brought her hands together and got into a fifth position, the one ballet dancers do all the time. She then turned on one foot while the other bent upwards. She moved towards the youma and when she brought her second leg up again, she used it to kick him in the stomach again.

"That's called a fouetté en tournant. With my own little style," Kiseki explain and leaped back, going into sixth position this time. She slowly brought her arms over her head and then quickly placed her hands in front of her, palm out towards Lamia. "Miracle Rain!"

A strange rain suddenly began to pour down on Lamia, making him sizzle out shout in agony.

"Sailor Nirvana, now!" Kiseki said towards me.

"Right!" I said and jumped forward. I swung my scythe down, unleashing my own attack. "Atonement Of The Stars!"

"_**We'll get you for this!" **_Lamia shouted as he turned to ash.

"What does he mean 'we'?" I whispered to myself as I stared down at the pile of ash.

I turned towards Kiseki and saw she was happily skipping around and doing other ballet moves. Like always, words appeared in my head, telling me something.

"Sailor Virgo," I murmured.

"What was that?" Kiseki asked.

I smiled. "You're Sailor Virgo. You're a senshi just like me."

"What's a senshi?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know myself, but we'll just have to find out."

Kiseki nodded and changed back, so did I, but then-

"NO!" she shouted as she fell to her knees.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"M-my legs. T-they don't work anymore!"

I stared at her in shock. Her legs only work when she's Sailor Virgo. But, why? How come? Why can't she dance all the time? Why can't Kiseki live out her dream no matter what form she's in?

It isn't fair.

I walked over to Kiseki and helped her into her wheelchair as she cried.

"Not fair," she murmured. "Why can't I move anymore? I was having so much fun dancing. . . I . . ."

I sighed. Still so many things I have yet to understand. Maybe when I do, I'll be able to help Kiseki.

The doctors and nurses groaned and began to wake up.

"Uh! Time to go!" I said and quickly pushed Kiseki out the room. "We can't let them see us, they'll ask a bunch of questions."

She nodded and wiped away her tears. "Yeah."


	4. Chapter 4

_**~Chapter 4: Jealous Ikuto? The Deadly Artist!~**_

* * *

(Kiseki P. O. V)

"Eh? Acting weird?" I asked Ikuto-kun. He had invited me to a near by café, saying it was urgent.

Ikuto-kun nodded and took a sip of his coffee. I thought grown men were suppose to like black coffee, but Ikuto-kun didn't at all; he put extra sugar and cream in his coffee. Funny, that's the same exact way Nova drinks her coffee whenever she's given some.

"I mean, I'm used to Nova going out late," he said. "But when she comes home, she acts as if she's hiding something from me."

"Why don't you try confronting her about it?" I asked and drank some of my orange juice. I stared at Ikuto-kun curiously. He sat there, looking away from me as he thought.

"Well, I've tried, but she's never home or I'm never home," he finally answered and turned his gray eyes back to me. "See, I'm used to her coming home late, but not leaving early. I mean, she's almost always late for school, and she wakes up late on her days off."

"That's true," I muttered. Nova's a girl who really enjoys her sleep. "So she's been leaving the house early as well as coming home late," I restated.

Ikuto-kun nodded. "Do you have any clue as to why?"

I shook my head sheepishly. "I'm sorry, but I don't. To be honest, what you're telling me is all new to me."

He sighed. "Nova's so sneaky," he whispered.

"Has she always been like this?" I couldn't help but ask.

Ikuto-kun shook his head. "Not always. Actually, in the beginning Nova was the exact opposite of what she is today. She was girly, she was sweet, she was caring . . ." he trailed off and stared out the café window in admiration, a small smile on his lips.

"Nova is still caring," I muttered. "And sweet, she just doesn't like showing it much."

Ikuto-kun continued to look out the window, into the afternoon rain. He suddenly leaned away, eyes wide in shock. "N-Nova?"

"Nova-chan?" I asked and glanced out the window. I gasped as my eyes landed on my friend.

Nova-chan was walking across the street . . . Under a man's umbrella!

"Who is she with?" Ikuto-kun and I asked in pure shock.

We continued to stare at Nova-chan as she walked in the rain with some man. I couldn't really see his face since it was partially hidden under the umbrella, but he said something and Nova-chan laughed.

"Nova-chan has a boyfriend?" I whispered. I turned to Ikuto-kun. He was glaring at the scene outside, his jaw tightly clenched.

_He looks very angry. _I thought to myself. _But why?_

"Ikuto-kun?" I asked.

He sucked his teeth and turned to me. "Kiseki, I need you to do me a very important favor."

"Favor?"

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

"Thanks for walking me home, Shuuji," I said as I approached my front door. I smiled over at Shuuji and he smiled back.

"It's nothing," he said, his blue eyes warm and kind as always.

As I was about to walk into my house, I turned to Shuuji. "U-um, about what we're doing . . ."

He smiled and placed a finger to his lips. "I'll keep it a secret."

I nodded. "Thank you." with those final words, I headed into the house. I didn't see Ikuto's car in the driveway, so he obviously wasn't home.

I sighed. I haven't seen Ikuto for almost a week. I wonder if he's mad at me? Well, I came home early today, so I guess he won't be, right?

I huffed and placed a fist on my hip. "Sheesh. He better not come home and complain because I'm early today and he's the one who's late."

Just then, the lock on the front door clicked and the door opened. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a soaked Ikuto.

"Welcome home," I muttered.

He just nodded and kept walking.

"You know, you should use an umbrella if it rains. You'll catch a cold if you keep doing what you're doing," I stated.

Ikuto continued to ignore me and headed up to the bathroom.

"Ikuto!" I shouted. I huffed. "Whatever."

I went up to my room and closed the door behind me. I wonder what's up with Ikuto. Is a girl bugging him again? Did his manager give him a busy schedule? Or maybe he's just having a random moody day.

I sighed and shrugged. "Whatever." I walked over to my personal bathroom and took a shower.

I can't wait till tomorrow, I'm going to see Shuuji again. I really hope no one finds out, especially Ikuto. But what excuse do I give him? Then again, I don't need to give him one. I _can _go out whenever I want, I'm not a little girl anymore.

I got out the shower wearing my purple bathrobe while I dried my long black hair with a fluffy white towel. I walked over to my room window and stared out into the rain.

"Rain," I murmured. I continued to stare out into the gloomy weather, almost as if I were in some kind of trance.

_Protect the princess! Don't let them in!_

I gasped and fell out of my trance. That voice just now, who was that woman?

I shook my head and decided not to think about it. I collapsed onto my bed and glanced at the silver cross on my nightstand; my transformation brooch.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

* * *

"I'm leaving!" I called the next morning.

"Alright," Ikuto muttered in an uninterested tone.

I rolled my eyes. He's been giving me the cold shoulder. What's up with that jerk? Whatever. I left the house and began walking to where Shuuji and I planned to meet.

* * *

(Kiseki P. O. V)

I glanced around the corner Nova-chan had disappeared from and sighed. Ikuto-kun told me to spy on her and tell him everything I saw, but . . . Spying is bad . . .

"Hmm," I whined, but continued to follow them. If I don't, Ikuto-kun will be mad. Then again, if Nova-chan finds me, she'll be mad. Such a dilemma. Then again, I want to know what's going on too . . . So I'll follow.

"Shuuji!" Nova-chan suddenly exclaimed and ran towards a man with wavy black hair and brown eyes.

The boy smiled down at Nova-chan and said something, but I couldn't hear from where I was.

"Shuuji?" I whispered to myself. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

Nova-chan walked beside Shuuji-san as they walked down the street. They suddenly turned into a store. I pushed down my dark sunglasses and peaked up at the store's sign. It was a clothing store. Eh?! He was going to buy her clothes?

I snuck into the store and watched as the two went around looking at clothes, but never buying anything.

"That's strange," I whispered as they glanced at a pretty white sundress but didn't buy it. "Why are they just looking?"

The two then headed out of the store with me following about ten feet behind. I followed them for about an hour, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. They went to the park, but only to chat with some people I had never seen before, and then they went to a near by pond and looked at the fishes.

I sighed, getting tired of spying. They weren't doing anything bad, just like I told Ikuto-kun. Nova-chan is rebellious, but she isn't the kind of girl to do naughty things with a guy. Then again, she also isn't the girl who would have a boyfriend and not tell anyone. . .maybe I don't know Nova-chan that well after all.

As if to conclude that I actually didn't know her, Nova-chan and Shuuji-san entered an apartment building. I gasped, she's going to his house? No. I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I bet Nova-chan will come back out in a few minutes. Right? Right! Of course!

But after waiting for an hour and a half, I got worried. I pulled out my pink cellphone and stared at it for a moment.

"Ikuto-kun told me to call him in case of an emergency. But . . ." I glanced over at the apartment building. "What if he overreacts and embarrasses Nova-chan? Then she'll know I was spying . . . But . . ." I sighed. This was so hard. What was the right choice? What was the bad choice?

I sighed and dialed Ikuto's number and told him what was happening.

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, Shuuji," I said as I left his apartment.

He smiled and nodded. "Same place, same time?"

"Yup," I said and closed the door.

I ran down the hall and pressed the button for the elevator. I stared at the watch on my wrist and smiled. It wasn't that late at all, thank goodness. I'm pretty sure Ikuto has started getting suspicious, and I don't want that.

I groaned and squeezed the back of one of my legs. Sheesh, I already knew they were going to be sore tomorrow. I rolled my shoulders a bit and winced. These were going to be sore too.

As the elevator door opened, I gasped and my heart skipped a beat. "I-Ikuto?" I gasped.

Ikuto had his arms crossed over his chest and he looked angrier than I'd ever seen him before. Behind him was a sheepish looking Kiseki and a disapproving Ren. Ikuto stormed out of the elevator and looked around.

"Where is he?" He demanded.

"Who?" I asked, hoping he wasn't talking about who I thought he was talking about.

"Don't play dumb! That guy you were with!" Ikuto snapped.

"Oi! Why are you yelling at me?" I snapped back. "And who I hang around is none of your business!"

"What have you been doing here all this time anyways?"

"How did you even find out where I was?" I asked and glanced over at Kiseki and Ren. "Since you both are here, I'm guessing you have a part in this?" I asked, demanding an answer.

Kiseki stared at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Nova-chan. I told Ikuto-kun."

"Kiseki?" I said in disbelief. "Why?"

She looked away and Ikuto spoke up. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"You're being dramatic about this," I said, my voice lowering as I tried to calm myself. "And I'm pretty sure you're thinking about this wrong."

"Like hell!" Ikuto snapped and took a step towards me. I had to look up to see into his face now that he was closer. It made him more intimidating, but I wasn't backing down! "You're gone all day and return home late! Now, tell me, how am I reading that wrong?"

"You are," I growled. "I know it seems bad, but it isn't, trust me!"

"I've trusted you in the past and it's just blown up in my face. You're not a reliable person, Nova!"

I gasped and took a rigid step back. Not reliable? I clenched my hands into tight fists and ran towards the door that led to the stairs. I pushed the door open so hard, it slammed against the wall. I ran down the stairs.

"Nova!" I heard Ren shout at the same time Kiseki shouted, "Nova-chan!" But Ikuto remained silent.

I ran out the building and ran aimlessly. The sun was setting up ahead, casting a golden glow on everything around me.

"Idiot! I'm unreliable?" I muttered. "Idiot! He doesn't even know what's really going on! Idiot, idiot, idiot!"

I ended up in a nearby playground. It was completely empty, all the children had gone back to their warm homes with their accepting parents.

I sighed and sat on one of the two empty swings. I stared up at the afternoon sky, trying to soothe myself and stop my boiling blood. Stupid Ikuto. When he finds out what's really going on, he'll feel stupid. Just watch. He'll apologize and then he'll see I _am _reliable.

I sniffed and a few tears fell from my eyes. I scolded myself for crying, but that just made me cry more.

"Is it really safe for a girl to be out alone this late?" a male voice suddenly asked from behind me.

I wiped my tears and glanced over my shoulder. A boy around my age leaned against a tree. His hair pitch black and covering one eye, the other revealing that their color was sapphire blue. He was staring at me with a dull expression. I remembered this boy, he was from the carnival.

"Orion," I muttered.

Orion walked over to me and sat down on the swing by mine. "You're that girl from the carnival. Nova, right?"

I nodded.

"Why are you crying?"

I looked away stubbornly. "I'm not crying," I lied. I felt a thumb suddenly brush my cheek and I turned to Orion quickly.

He rubbed his thumb and index finger together. "Looks like you're crying to me," he muttered.

I puffed my cheeks. "Fine, I was crying. But I don't see how it's any of your business why I'm crying."

He shrugged. "I guess it isn't, I was just worried."

"Worried about a stranger?" I asked in disbelief.

"I feel like I know you from somewhere," Orion admitted.

I won't lie, I felt the same way. And I also felt a little safe here with Orion. If I were with some other stranger, I'd be tense and I would have already made them go away by being rude, but that's not the case with Orion. I kind of want to tell him everything . . .

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked childishly. I glanced over at Orion from the corner of my multi-color eyes.

Orion nodded. "Unless you tell me you're suicidal or something. Then I have to tell someone."

I giggled. "No. I'm not, so don't worry."

"Good," he said and looked up at the sky. It sounded as if he had sighed with relief. "So what do you want to say?"

I told Orion everything about what happened and he actually seemed to listen to every single word with interest. When I was done he leaned forward and looked at me intently.

"So everything is just a big misunderstand," he muttered.

I nodded. "Yeah, but I can't tell Ikuto the truth just yet, and I know things will just keep getting worse and worse and I don't want it to." I pushed myself a bit with my legs to swing up, and then stopped myself as I came down.

Orion looked up at the sky. "Don't go alone next time."

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Well, you've been going to that Shuuji guy's apartment by yourself and coming home late, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, if you go with someone else, it won't be seen so badly."

"I guess that's true . . . But I didn't bring anyone with me because I didn't want them to tell Ikuto."

"They won't if you tell them not to."

I pouted and nodded. "I should have done that from the beginning, instead of letting things end up this way."

As I pouted at the floor, a golden rose suddenly appeared before my eyes. I looked over at Orion curiously and saw him smiling sweetly at me.

"They say a yellow rose is a sign of friendship and care," he said and I took the rose from his hand. He chuckled and looked back up at the sky that was now beginning to turn a dark blue as the moon began to show. "I don't remember who it was that taught me about roses, but I do know the yellow rose has always been my favorite."

"Why?" I asked and continued to stare down at the rose.

Orion shrugged. "I feel . . . I feel as if the ones I truly care about, the ones I truly love, like that rose. So I do too." He chuckled and looked at me. "That sounds pretty corny, doesn't it?"

I smiled and giggled. "A little, but that's okay." I got up from the swing. "I guess I should head back home now."

Orion nodded.

"Nova!" Ren's voice came as he ran up to where Orion and I were. He glanced at Orion briefly and then looked at me. "Come on. It's getting dark."

"I know, I know," I said and began walking back home with Ren. I glanced over my shoulder and waved goodbye to Orion.

* * *

Ren left me at my doorstep and warned me not to let my anger get the best of me, no matter what Ikuto might say. I nodded, saying I could handle it and he left.

I opened the front door and stared into the house a bit wearily. I really hope Ikuto isn't in the mood to argue, I know I'm not.

"I'm home," I said.

Dead silence. He's still really upset.

I sighed and walked into the living room, expecting to see Ikuto there, but he wasn't. Where is he? I really need to talk to him and see if I can clear things up without revealing anything. I walked up to his room, but he wasn't in there either.

"What's going on?" I whispered and then said aloud, "Ikuto! Ikuto?"

Still no reply.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I whispered. Ikuto's car was parked outside, so why wasn't he home? And all the lights are on, as if he were here.

I went back downstairs and walked outside again. The only thing I can think of is he walked, and the only place he'd walk to right now is . . .

"Damn it, Ikuto!" I shouted and began running to Shuuji's apartment.

* * *

(? P. O. V)

"Cardian?"

"Why did you say it as if it were a question?"

"Because . . . The last three were youmas, but this one is a Cardian."

"Eh? Why? That makes no sense to change."

"Exactly. And I don't think Sailor Nirvana is strong enough to defeat it, even with Sailor Virgo's help."

"Not good. We just found her again, we can't lose her!"

"But we also can't approach her. If we do, he'll appear."

"But . . ."

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

As I approached the building, I heard screaming and saw people fleeing.

"Monster!" they were shouting and running off.

"Monster?" I whispered and came to a quick halt. "Youma." I ran into a dark alley and grabbed my transformation brooch from the front of my shirt. "Royal Crystal, Make-Up!" I shouted and transformed into Sailor Nirvana.

I snuck into the building, making sure to avoid the chaotic crowd of people fleeing the building. I looked around, where was the youma?

"Chroma Chroma!" a voice chimed.

I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see a ton of sharp pencils flying towards me. I gasped and jumped out of the way before a bunch of holes could be put into me. I glanced at the youma, but it seemed different. It was a woman with purple skin, wearing a black French beret, and a large white canvas for a body.

I huffed. "How dare you scare all these innocent people and use art products for evil!" I exclaimed. "For family, love, and justice! A rebellious sailor suited senshi, Sailor Nirvana! And in the name of the stars and moon, I will correct your sins!"

"Chroma!" it shouted and expanded it's chest towards me.

"Eh?" I asked and waited.

"Chroma~!" paint suddenly appeared from out of the canvas and began to fling towards me. I jumped out of the way barely, and watched in shock as the paint dissolved the wall and floor wherever it hit it. Just like acid.

"C-crap," I stuttered. This youma also seemed a lot stronger than the last ones.

_That's because it isn't a youma! _A voice shouted in my head. A voice I didn't recognize, but it felt so nostalgic. _That's a Cardian!_

"Cardian?" I asked.

_It will suck away all your energy if you don't destroy it!_

"So it's after energy, just like a youma."

_Yes, but Cardians are stronger and more reckless!_

I sucked my teeth. Just great. I'm just getting used to all this sailor senshi stuff and I get hit with a strong enemy when I already struggle on the other ones. I sighed and summoned my scythe. Let's get this over with.

"Chroma, Chroma, Chro~ma~!" Sharp pencils began to fly towards me again.

I jumped out of the way and then ran towards the beast. "Atonement Of The Sta-" I shouted in pain as the Cardian hit me with clay. I slammed into a nearby wall, clay wrapped around my wrists and ankles. The clay quickly dried and I was stuck on the wall. No matter how much I fault, the clay was just too hard to break.

"Damn," I whispered and glared at my opponent.

"Miracle Rain!"

The Cardian was suddenly pelted with a burst of water. I sighed in relief and looked over at Sailor Virgo. She ran over to me and helped me out of this clay trap.

"Thanks," I muttered.

She nodded and we both looked at the Cardian.

"That isn't our usual enemy," I whispered to Sailor Virgo.

"Eh? It isn't?" and she gasped, seeing as her attack didn't even make a scratch on the beast.

I shook my head. "It's a Cardian. More reckless and strong."

"Not good."

"Chroma!"

"Look out!" I shouted and pushed Sailor Virgo out of the way as the acid paint came towards us. We both dodged it, luckily. "This way!" I said and grabbed Sailor Virgo's hand. We ran up the stairs to the second floor, then the third, Shuuji's floor. He should be out of the building by now.

This staircase only led to the third floor, so we had to get out on that floor to get to the other staircase that would lead to the roof.

"Hurry, Sailor Nirvana it's coming!" Sailor Virgo shouted as we ran.

We stepped onto the third floor and I froze.

"Sailor Nirvana? Sailor Nirvana, what's wrong?" Sailor Virgo stood beside me and glanced at what I was looking at. She gasped. "I-Ikuto-kun."

"Ikuto!" I shouted and ran over to the big idiot! He was collapsed on the floor and looked really pale. I held him in my arms. "Ikuto! Ikuto, wake up! Idiot, wake up!" I demanded and shook him.

I growled under my breathe and placed Ikuto down.

"Chroma!" the Cardian shouted as it burst out from the floor below instead of using the stairs.

"Miracle Rain!" Sailor Virgo attacked, but it hardly did damage, just like the first time. "What do we do?" she asked frantically.

"To the roof!" I shouted and we began to run again. I glanced back at Ikuto before I headed up the stairs.

_I'll be back, I promise. _I thought and went up the stairs quickly.

Sailor Virgo and I stood on the roof, a gust of wind passing by briefly.

"Final stage," I said and cracked my knuckles.

Sailor Virgo nodded and pushed her blonde hair off her shoulders. "We'll stop it here."

As the Cardian appeared, Kiseki was about to attack when what looked like glue blasted out of the Cardians hands and wrapped around both of us. We both shouted out in protest and began to struggle against the glue. If that wasn't bad enough, the glue began to glow pink and I started to feel . . . Weak . . .

"It's sucking . . . Our energy . . ." Sailor Virgo struggled to say.

"Damn . . . We can't . . . Beat it like . . . This . . ."

Sailor Virgo and I fell to our knees, too weak to continue standing.

Suddenly, there was a loud popping noise and the glue around us was off. I suddenly had my energy back and so did Sailor Virgo.

"What was that just now?" Sailor Virgo asked.

"Chroma?" the Cardian asked in confusion.

"Picking on innocent girls, that's cruel," a male voice said in a mocking tone.

Sailor Virgo and I looked over towards the voice and I gasped. "T-two Hunters?" Sailor Virgo and I asked in shocked unison together.

There was another male standing next to Hunter. His clothes were a bit different, but were in the shades of black and grays like Hunter's. Similar to Hunter's black sleeveless hoodie-slash-midriff shirt, black pants with chains, and black combat boots; the other one had on a black sleeveless hoodie (that wasn't a midriff shirt) with gold fur around the edges of the hood, black pants, and gray combat boots.

"Chroma?" the Cardian asked again.

A silver pistol suddenly appeared in Hunter's hand, him shooting must have been the popping noise earlier, so he was the one who freed us from the glue.

"Scorpio," Hunter muttered.

Scorpio smirked and a long, silver sword with a gold handle appeared in his hand. "Right," he said and lunged for the Cardian.

"There are two now?" Sailor Virgo whispered.

I nodded once in shock.

"Are you both okay," Hunter asked as he approached us.

We both nodded and stood up.

"Your side is growing as well," I said and glanced over at Scorpio.

"No one said you were the only warriors," Hunter muttered.

But I still don't know why I'm a warrior. I'm a senshi, but a senshi for what? Who or _whom _am I fighting for?

"Chroma, Chroma!" the Cardian screamed and got a hit on Scorpio, sending him skidding against the roof stop.

"Scorpio!" Sailor Virgo and I shouted in unison.

Scorpio glanced in our direction. "Sailor Nirvana, now!" he shouted.

"He weakened the Cardian," Hunter said by my side.

"Eh? R-right!" I said and summoned my scythe. I lunged for the beast. "Atonement Of The Stars!" I shouted and sliced through the Cardian.

"We did it!" Sailor Virgo cheered.

I smiled and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." I turned to Hunter and Scorpio. "You continue to help. Does that mean you're an ally?" Sailor Virgo walked over to my side as I asked.

"Are you?" she asked eagerly.

Scorpio and Hunter exchanged a brief glance before looking at us.

"We're not sure," Scorpio said.

"We don't know anything about ourselves, except that we have to find the other Knights," Hunter said.

"Knights?" Sailor Virgo asked.

"Just like you are the Sailor Senshi, we are the Knights," Hunter explained.

"For all we know, you're trying to find the rest of your army to destroy us," I said acidly, but not even I believed those words. There was just something about these guys that made me feel like they weren't the enemy.

"Possible," Hunter said and they both turned away.

"Till next time, adorable Sailor Senshi," Scorpio chuckled.

Sailor Virgo and I watched them go in silence. Once they were out of sight, and I ran back into the building to check on Ikuto. I undid my transformation as I entered the floor and ran over to him.

"Ikuto!" I held him in my arms again and watched him nervously. "Ikuto," I whispered. "Wake up, please."

He groaned and his eyes slowly opened. I sighed with relief and hugged him.

"Nova?" he asked in a groggily tone. "What happened? Where . . . Where am I?"

"You big idiot," I muttered and pulled away from Ikuto. He looked around, still dazed and confused.

"It's alright," Kiseki's voice suddenly came. I glanced over at her and saw she was back to normal and in her wheelchair. "You were attacked, but Sailor Nirvana saved you."

Ikuto looked even more confused. "Sailor Nirvana?"

"Idiot," I muttered. "You don't know about the soldier of family, love, and justice? She's been on the news lately." I'm not lying. Kiseki and I have been on the news about three times lately. I sent Kiseki a glance and she giggled.

"What's happened here?" a voice asked in utter shock.

The three of us looked over at a shocked Shuuji.

"Eh?" I whispered. "You weren't . . ."

"I was running some errands," he said and scratched the back of his head. "People are pretty freaked out downstairs."

"You!" Ikuto said to Shuuji and stood up. "Nova isn't allowed to have any boyfriends so back off!"

"Boyfriend?" Shuuji asked in confusion.

I huffed, my cheeks burning in pure embarrassment. "Idiot!" I exclaimed and stood between Ikuto and Shuuji. I glared at Ikuto and put my hands on my hips. "He isn't my boyfriend!"

"Then explain why you two have been hanging around each other so much!" Ikuto said. "Why did you two go to the clothing store? And you two shared an umbrella! And you've been coming home late recently!"

I groaned and turned to Shuuji. "I'm sorry for his stupidity. Can I show him what we've actually been doing?"

Shuuji laughed and opened his apartment door. "Right. That would be best."

I motioned for Ikuto and Kiseki to follow us. Once they stepped foot into Shuuji's apartment, I saw Ikuto's expression change into one of embarrassment.

There were a few canvases here and there, only one of them blank. There were tubes of paint on the table, along with pencils and some paper. There were sketches pinned all over the wall, and a platform Shuuji used for his models.

I walked onto the platform and stared down at Ikuto. "I've been modeling for Shuuji, that's why I've been coming home late. He has me pose for hours." I groaned and rubbed the back of my legs. "Sometimes to the point where I'm sore the next day."

Shuuji laughed. "Sorry about that, but you know I need to get as much done as possible."

I smiled and got off the platform. "I know."

"Then why were you two sharing an umbrella? And the clothing store!" Ikuto said.

I rolled my eyes. "It was raining and Shuuji was being nice. And about the clothing store, Shuuji is a designer."

Kiseki gasped. "That's why your name sounded so familiar!" she said and looked at Shuuji. "You're Shuuji Kita-san! The famous young fashion designer."

"How come I've never heard of you?" Ikuto asked.

"I only do girl clothes," Shuuji chuckled.

"And he was showing his designs to me," I continued to explain. "I wanted to see them in person instead of just on paper."

Shuuji nodded and walked over to grab a canvas that was covered with a white cloth. "Nova has been a great help to me, so I'm glad to be of help to her."

"Help?" Ikuto asked.

Shuuji nodded and handed me the canvas. A blush came to my cheeks as I stared at the covered canvas.

"What's that, Nova-chan?" Kiseki asked.

My blush darkened and I quickly held the canvas out to Ikuto. "Here," I muttered.

"Always so shy," Shuuji chuckled. "It's pretty adorable."

Ikuto sent Shuuji a quick glare, but the fashion designer didn't see it. Ikuto continued to stare at the canvas in his hands.

"Well?" I asked impatiently. "Uncover it."

Ikuto nodded and did just that. When he got a glimpse at what was underneath the cloth, his gray eyes widened in disbelief.

I fidgeted with the hem of my skirt a bit and stared down at my white boots. "Is it that bad? I'm not that good at art, that's why Shuuji's been helping me in exchange of modeling for him."

"You shouldn't put yourself down, Nova-san," Shuuji said. "It came out really good."

I looked up sheepishly at Ikuto. He continued to stare at the canvas in shock. Finally, Ikuto smiled tenderly and looked at me apologetically.

"I'm a big idiot," he chuckled.

Kiseki stretched her neck out to look at the picture too. When she did, she smiled. "Wow~, it's amazing."

"I wasn't suppose to show you that until next week," I muttered. "That's your birthday present, but you were blowing everything out of proportion so . . ." I shrugged. "I'm still not done with it."

Ikuto placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side. I looked at the sketch of Ikuto I had been working on for a while. I still needed to add some shading and color before I would consider it finished.

Ikuto apologized to Shuuji and Shuuji took no offense at all. He actually considered it all a funny coincidence. I told Shuuji I would be back tomorrow to finish off the sketch and then Kiseki, Ikuto, and I left.

Ikuto and I walked Kiseki back to the hospital and then we started walking home.

"I'm sorry," Ikuto said to me for the millionth time.

I chuckled. "Alright, alright. You've keep saying that and I already told you I forgive you."

"But I said some pretty mean things."

"You always say stupid things when you're upset."

Ikuto chuckled and placed his hand on my head. "Yeah, but I said I couldn't trust you. I called you unreliable. . ." Ikuto looked up at the dark sky. "I was lying when I said that."

"I knew it," I lied to seem tougher. "But you should probably work on your jealousy issues."

"I-I wasn't jealous!" Ikuto said. "I'm overprotective."

"That too I guess."

"I wasn't jealous!" Ikuto continued to say.

I laughed and ran ahead. "Jealous Ikuto! Jealous Ikuto!"

"I'm not!" Ikuto said and ran after me.

I stuck my tongue out at him and continued running.

* * *

(? P. O. V)

"What's their goal? Why change the enemy? It was already strange enough that they had Youmas."

"I'm just happy I was able to communicate with Sailor Nirvana to warn her."

"True. But don't do it again. He might track that down to find them."

"Right. Not again."


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: I'll be changing the name of the story from Starlight In The Dark to Sailor Star Guardians. I finally finished Sailor Moon, and I thought it would be good to name this story Sailor Stars since both Sailors so far and both Knights are named after stars instead of planets. And the design for Nana was created by my friend, SailorMewWinxGuardian who is a member here on fan fiction. She designed Nana, and I made Nana's personality. Alright, on with the show!**_

* * *

_**~Chapter 5: Studying With The Centaur! Nova's Serious Dilemma.~**_

"Hide it, hide it," I whispered quickly to myself and threw my recent school failure under my bed. Ikuto was already upset that I was failing English, if he saw I was failing History too . . .

I shivered. I didn't even want to imagine my punishment this time.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway echoed through the entire house; Ikuto was home. I ran back downstairs and sat on the couch, turning on the TV to make it seem like I was in the living room the entire time.

I could hear Ikuto leaving his car and yelling at someone at the same time. But his voice was too muffled to understand. I would have to wait for him to come inside.

"Well, you're wrong!" Ikuto shouted as he entered the house.

I watched curiously from the couch, not saying a word as he practically slammed his keys on the table by the door and continued to yell at the person on the other end of the phone. I wonder who it was that had Ikuto so worked up.

"That's not how it is!" Ikuto suddenly glanced over at me from the corner of his gray eyes. His voice dropped to an inaudible whisper. Now I couldn't hear anything he was saying at all.

Hmm, that just got me even more curious. Usually Ikuto doesn't mind me listening to his conversations, so whatever he's talking about must be bad. Maybe it has something to do with his job.

Ikuto slammed the phone shut and the house fell into silence, except for the TV that was still on. I continued to stare at Ikuto curiously, hoping he would tell me what happened, but I doubted it. He didn't want me to hear, so he obviously won't tell me. Still, I really want to know what happened.

"I'll be upstairs," Ikuto grumbled.

"Wait!" I exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Ikuto said curtly and went up to his room.

I sighed, "Saw that answer coming." I glanced over at the living room windows at the sunny afternoon. My mind began to wander from everything that happened today and went back to a week prior.

* * *

_I turned to Hunter and Scorpio. "You continue to help. Does that mean you're an ally?" Sailor Virgo walked over to my side as I asked._

"_Are you?" she asked eagerly._

_Scorpio and Hunter exchanged a brief glance before looking at us._

"_We're not sure," Scorpio said. _

"_We don't know anything about ourselves, except that we have to find the other Knights," Hunter said._

"_Knights?" Sailor Virgo asked._

"_Just like you are the Sailor Senshi, we are the Knights," Hunter explained._

"_For all we know, you're trying to find the rest of your army to destroy us," I said acidly, but not even I believed those words. There was just something about these guys that made me feel like they weren't the enemy._

"_Possible," Hunter said and they both turned away._

"_Till next time, adorable Sailor Senshi," Scorpio chuckled._

* * *

"Hunter . . . and Scorpio . . ." I whispered. Just who exactly were those two? And if they are looking for more Knights, is there a possibility that there are more Sailor Senshi as well? If there are more, then what does it all mean? Are the Knights and Sailor Senshi actually made to battle? But then, what about the Youmas and that Cardian? Who created those?

I groaned and covered both my ears with my hands, as if that would make the confusing thoughts go away.

Sailor Senshi. Knights. Youmas. Cardians. What happened to me being a normal girl? I kind of want to go back to those times when I didn't have to worry about getting attacked by weird monsters. Then again, I'm also glad to be a Sailor Senshi because I met Kiseki and I'm helping people. Ugh! Everything is all jumbled up and confusing!

I tumbled to the side, lying on the couch as I stared at the white carpets the living room contained. Maybe a quick nap will help me sort things out a bit? I nodded at that idea and closed my eyes.

* * *

_I was standing on a pretty marble balcony overlooking a beautiful place. It looked like a crystal version of Tokyo. I stared in awe at all the pretty lights the buildings and cars gave off._

_I don't know why, but I was dressed in a long, strapless, white gown that opened in the front to reveal my bare legs. A lilac chocker with a bow on the side hung around my neck. It matched perfectly with the lilac ribbons tied around both my odangos. The ribbons were extremely long, just as long as my loose, black hair that reached a bit past my knees._

"_Uwah~! Uwah~!"_

_The cry of an infant pulled me away from the balcony and I glanced behind me, into the amazingly beautiful silver palace. My mind instantly registered what I was hearing and I ran over to the sound excitedly. _

_I entered a room filled with people, but I could not see any of their faces. As I made myself through the crowd, I stood by a bed as a woman held an infant to her. The woman smiled a smile full of nothing but love. It was the smile only a mother could give to her child. I smiled as well, extremely happy, when a hand was placed on my shoulder and another one, a different one, grabbed my hand. _

_I turned to face the ones who had grabbed me and—_

* * *

I groaned and opened my eyes slowly, the living room and sky outside now dark. I sat up slowly on the couch and sighed.

I always wake up at moments like that one.

* * *

"Nova!" Ikuto shouted from downstairs the next morning. "Hurry up o—"

I screamed as I ran down the stairs and out the door. "I'M LATE AGAIN!"

"Nova!"

I jogged in place and looked back at the house. Ikuto stood in the doorway, a lazy smile on his face as he held up my lunch.

"Thanks," I said when I went to get it. "See you later!"

"Oh, wait, Nova," Ikuto said quickly and grabbed my wrist.

"What?" I asked. "Hurry, hurry."

He nodded. "If Officer Yamamoto approaches you, I don't want you to talk to him."

"Eh?" I asked and stopped running in place. "Officer . . . Yamamoto?" I hadn't heard that name in two years. "Why are you bringing him up all of a sudden?"

Ikuto shook his head. "Go. You'll be late."

I nodded a bit reluctantly and ran as fast as I could to school. If I ran fast enough, I would make it to school just in time!

But, I was a bit unlucky. As I was about to cross the streets, a bunch of cars drove by and I had to wait. I began jogging in place again, just wanting the cars to hurry up so I could get to school before the bell ring. As the last car drove by the people were able to cross the street, that's when I heard the sound of my school bell chime in the distance.

I screamed for the second time that morning and was practically the wind as I approached the now locked school gates. I sucked my teeth and glanced at the tall gate. Guess I was going to have to jump over it like I did once in the past.

I took two steps back from the fence and crouched down, preparing to leap, when someone called out to me.

"Nova Tsukino," the stern, male voice said.

Me, thinking it was a teacher, or even worse, the principal, quickly stood up straight and turned nervously towards the voice. But it wasn't a teacher or the principal. No. It was someone far worse. Someone who truly despised me just because I was me.

Officer Hideki Yamamoto stood before me, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at me with cold, silver eyes.

So he did show up. But, how did Ikuto know I might run into him?

"Sorry, but I have to get to school," I said and turned back towards the fence. I crouched down again, this time I really was going to jump.

"Hold on!" Officer Yamamoto said, but by then I had jumped and was landing softly on the other side of the fence. "Hey!" he shouted as I ran into the school.

Unfortunately, I made it passed the fence, but not passed my teacher.

"These . . . Are heavy . . ." I struggled to say as I held two buckets full of water, one on each of my hands. There was also an English book on my head that I couldn't let fall. Teachers are so harsh.

But as I stood out here in the hallway, I did have time to think. Officer Yamamoto, what the heck was he doing here? Last time I checked, he didn't even live in the Juuban area, so why . . . ?

"Ikuto knew," I whispered as I stared out the hallway window. Ikuto did know, otherwise he wouldn't have warned me. But how did he know Officer Yamamoto was around? I mean, I haven't even heard the man's name in two years, so why suddenly appear now? And then he came to my school, does this mean he came to speak with me?

Great. Just what I needed, more drama.

"Tsukino-san."

I quickly drew myself back into reality and glanced over at my teacher, Mr. Mizuki. "Yes?"

He held up my recent test and circled in red ink was my terrible grade. A twenty! That's the worse one so far.

"If you don't make your grades rise soon," began Mr. Mizuki. "I will have no choice but to keep you back a year! And you will also be required to take on remedial classes!"

"S-stay back _and _remedial classes?" I asked nervously.

The teacher nodded. "Honestly, Tsukino-san, can't you give me at least one grade."

"Sorry," I said, still holding the two full buckets of water, and I still had the book on my head, so I couldn't even bow. "I'll try harder! I really will!"

"You've said to me many times in the past. Do I need to call home to get you to really work?"

I shook my head, causing the book to fall off and land on the ground. "Anything but that, Mizuki-sensei. I know my grades are bad, so I'll try to improve. I will, I will."

"How about I give you a tutor then? If you take the tutoring, I won't call home, and you won't have to stay back or take those remedial classes."

"Yes! I'll do that!" I said enthusiastically.

"Good. We'll talk more about this matter after school, now go back to class," Mr. Mizuki said and motioned for me to enter the classroom.

I happily put the buckets down, grabbed my English book, and went back into the classroom.

* * *

"Alright, I know of a very good tutor, and she is around your age," Mr. Mizuki said to me at the end of the school day.

He grabbed a small piece of paper and a pen. He scrawled something down on the paper before handing it to me. I took the piece of paper and stared down at it.

"Nana Igarashi," I said, saying the name of the tutor.

Mr. Mizuki nodded. "She is a very smart student, she is ranked number one in all of Japan."

"N-number one?" I gasped.

"Yes. I believe she will be a fine tutor to you, but make sure you actually go and see her."

"Right," I said and nodded.

"Alright. I already set up everything for you. All the information you need is on that paper."

"Thank you," I said and bowed.

I left the school happily and read over the paper.

_Nana Igarashi_

_5:00 PM - 7:00 PM on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at Juuban Public Library_

That sounded reasonable. I could handle that, no problem.

"What's that you're looking at, Usagi?"

I growled and turned to face Ren. "I told you to stop calling me that," I said.

Ren laughed. "Yeah, but your reactions are always funny to see."

I glared at the albino, my cheeks turning red in embarrassment. "Anyways," I said, taking in Ren's uniform. He had on khaki pants that matched with his khaki blazer, a white oxford shirt, and green tie. "Why are you around here? I thought your school was far from mine.

Ren just gave me a one shoulder shrug before walking up behind me and looking at the paper in my hand.

"Tutoring? You're taking tutoring, Usagi?" Ren suddenly began to laugh again. "Teachers suddenly got sick of your failing grades, I see."

"S-shut up!" I shouted, my cheeks burning even more. "So what if I have to take tutoring. At least I know I'll become smarter than you if I take the classes!"

"Sure," he snickered.

"Jerk," I muttered and stormed off.

"Ah, wait! Nova, I was just joking!" Ren called from behind me, but I ignored him and kept walking.

I fumed the whole time I walked home. Stupid Ren. Not everyone could be super smart. Not like he's smart that is. He fails from time to time too.

I didn't even notice the two cars in the driveway as I walked up to the front door of my home and unlocked it.

"I'm home!" I called and took off my shoes, finally noticing that there was someone else in the house by the extra pair of men's shoes. "Uh oh," I whispered.

I slowly wandered into the living room and saw Ikuto sitting on the couch, glaring at Officer Yamamoto who sat on the seat by the door I was standing at.

Officer Yamamoto glared up at me. "You're a bit late getting home."

"Eh?" I asked. "Oh. I was talking to my teacher and then I—"

"Stop making things up," the police officer suddenly said. "Only children do that."

"But that's what really happened," I said.

"Sure," he said, not sounding convinced.

"Why do you always have to be so rude to her?" Ikuto snapped.

"Are you saying you believe her then, Ikuto?" Officer Yamamoto snapped back.

Ikuto's eyes widened briefly before he composed himself and looked away angrily. He didn't believe me?

"Hey! But I'm telling the truth!" I walked up to Ikuto and was about to reach for the paper Mr. Mizuki had given me, but it wasn't in my bag. I gasped and began rummaging through it. "W-where did it go? Ikuto, I mean it. Mizuki-sensei gave me a paper with . . . With . . ."

It wasn't in my bag.

I began patting my uniform, as if I would somehow find a secret pocket I never knew about and the piece of paper would be there.

"See?" Officer Yamamoto said. "She doesn't even have proof."

"Yes I do!' I said. "I know! Ikuto, you could ask Ren! He saw the paper!"

"Ren?" Ikuto asked and raised an eyebrow. "How did you see Ren?"

"When I was walking home, I ran into him."

"Nova," Ikuto said sternly. "His school is far away from yours. There's no way you would see him while you were walking home."

"B-but I did! Honest!" I continued to protest. "You seriously don't believe me?"

Ikuto didn't respond and Officer Yamamoto laughed.

"See, Ikuto? I told you she was nothing but trouble."

I tried to keep in my boiling anger, but it toppled over and I couldn't help myself. I turned to face Officer Yamamoto, tears in the corner of my eyes from how angry I was. "I did nothing wrong to you, so why are you treating me like this?" I shouted. "I'm telling the truth, honest, and yet . . . And yet . . ."

"You're telling the truth, and yet you can't even give us proof on what you're saying," Officer Yamamoto continued to anger me.

"I did have proof! I just misplaced it! After school I went to Mizuki-sensei and he helped me find a tutor! Then I ran into Ren, I don't know why he was around, but he was, and he saw the paper that Mizuki-sensei gave me! So—"

"Nova," Ikuto said calmly. "Enough."

I stared back at him in bewilderment. "Do you really not believe me?" I asked.

"It doesn't make sense," he replied. "You actually went to the teacher to get a tutor? You'd never do that. And then you ran into Ren, but his route home is nowhere near yours. Nothing you're telling me makes sense."

"I . . . but . . . Out of all people, aren't you suppose to believe me, Ikuto?" I asked desperately.

"But you've lied to me so many times in the past!"

"But, weren't you just defending me a moment ago?!"

Ikuto fell silent again.

"Ikuto!" I shouted, the tears in the corner of my eyes were released and now running down my cheeks.

"I warned you, didn't I, Ikuto?" Officer Yamamoto said. "I mean, you gave up so much for this girl, but she takes it all for granted. You even quit school, just for her."

"Ikuto," I whimpered.

Ikuto looked at Officer Yamamoto. Ikuto's eyes were a reflection of his. Both were cold and non-caring. Then again, that should be expected seeing as they're . . .

Father and son.

"I won't throw her on the streets," Ikuto said.

"You don't have too," replied his father. They were both talking as if I wasn't even here. "There are plenty of other homes for her, like I told you before."

They were really thinking of getting rid of me? But . . . How did things change so drastically? Ikuto was defending me, and now he's throwing me under the bus. Is he finally sick of me? Is he sick of my tales? Am I the Boy Who Cried Wolf and that's why Ikuto didn't believe me?

Ikuto opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him too it.

"What if I show you?" I asked in a quivering voice.

"Didn't you just try to do that?" Officer Yamamoto asked.

"No. I mean . . . what if I manage to improve my grades, then you'll know that I've been taking tutoring lessons. Then you'll know I've been telling the truth this whole time."

Both men remained silent.

"Here's the deal," I said and stared seriously at the man trying desperately to get rid f me. "If I bring back an A, I get to stay."

"You have no right to make deals like that," Officer Yamamoto said. "This was never your house to begin with."

I glanced over at Ikuto, scared to see what he would say. But, luckily, he nodded.

"That's fine," he said and stared up at me. "If you bring me an A by the end of the month, I'll believe you."

I nodded. That was a good amount of time seeing as today was the third of the month. "Right."

"I-Ikuto!" Officer Yamamoto protested.

"And if I don't bring back an A," I continued. "Even if I bring in a B+, or an A-, I'll leave. How does that sound?"

Ikuto's father thought it over for a long moment, but then nodded. "Fine. And no pleading your way out of the deal if you don't win!"

"Wasn't planning to," I said.

I really hope I can do this. Otherwise . . .

I glanced over at Ikuto, his eyes full of conflicting emotions.

Officer Yamamoto rose from his seat and fixed his shirt before heading towards the front door. "I'll be back in a month then. Alright?"

Ikuto and I both nodded and watched as the man left the house. We remained silent and still until I heard the sound of his car drive far off.

"Nova," Ikuto muttered, but I didn't turn to face him.

"You, of all people, should always believe me," I said before going up to my room to be alone.

* * *

"Ikuto's father?" Kiseki asked as we walked to the library. Today was my first day of tutoring, and Kiseki decided to tag along because she said she needed some books from the library.

I nodded.

"Doesn't that mean your father as well?"

I shook my head.

"Eh? I don't understand, Nova-chan."

"Kiseki, I was adopted. I guess that would be the proper term. Ikuto took me in when I had nowhere else to go, but his father doesn't approve and ever since I first arrived, he's been trying to get rid of me. And now, he just might win."

Kiseki gave me a determined look. "Don't worry, Nova-chan, you'll win the bet! I just know it! You'll get tutored, and study, and I'll even help you if you want."

I smiled as we entered the library. "Thank you, Kiseki."

"Are you, Nova Tsukino?" a female voice asked.

"Hmm?" I asked and glanced over at a girl around my and Kiseki's age. She was wearing very proper attire. A dark blue dress with white lace trimming, white stockings, and black Mary-Janes. Her hair was also dark blue, reaching her lower back with wavy tips. Her blue eyes were shielded behind thin glasses, and in her arms were some books.

I nodded. "Are you, Nana Igarashi?" I asked.

The girl smiled and nodded. "Yup. That's me. Shall we begin your tutoring?"

I nodded. "Yes!"

* * *

(? P. O. V)

"It looks like she is in quite a dilemma."

"Yes, but knowing her, she'll be just fine. She was never one to give up so easily."

"That is true. But even so, that did not mean she got the results she wanted."

" . . . Oh."

"Yes."

" . . . That is a problem."

"Precisely."

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

"So . . . If I just do this . . . And then this . . ." I said, then wrote my answer. "Is that right?"

Nana looked at the paper and nodded happily. "Absolutely correct."

"Yay!" I chimed happily.

"You learn quickly, Tsukino-san. You've already successfully learned three formulas in an hour," Nana commented.

"It isn't that great," I sighed. "I'll forget most of this once I go ho—" I stopped myself. Could I still call that place my home?

Nana stared at me, concern in her blue eyes. I shook my head.

"It's nothing. Can you help me with this one," I said and pointed to a problem.

"Right," Nana said and nodded. She explained to me what to do and I took diligent notes so that I had something to study from once I got home. Nana then gave me some examples and I tried doing them, but got some wrong so we worked on that.

Finally, my tutoring was over for the day.

"Hey, want to go get some crepes?" I asked Nana when we cleaned up the table we were working on.

Nana looked up at me, her eyes a bit wide in shock. "Huh?"

"Or ice-cream, if you don't like crepes," I said as Kiseki put the book she was reading back on the shelf.

Kiseki smiled at Nana. "How about it, Igarashi-san?"

Nana still looked a bit shocked. She clutched the books she had tightly to her chest. "You . . . You guys want to hang out with me?"

"Why not?" I asked. "You seem pretty cool."

Kiseki nodded in agreement.

Nana smiled. "Alright. Let's go get some ice-cream."

"Alright!" I said happily. "Let's go!"

The three of us headed to the ice-cream shop a few buildings away from the library. The whole time we chatted and laughed a bit.

"Hey, Nana," I said. "I hear you were rated the smartest girl in Japan."

Nana blushed and pushed up her glasses. "W-well, yeah. But it is nothing."

"That's amazing!" Kiseki said, I nodded.

"Really? Usually people find it strange. They call me an over achiever," Nana said.

I rolled my eyes. "They're just jealous. You're awesome, Nana. I wish I could be super smart."

Nana chuckled. "You can be, Tsukino-san. Just study."

"Nova-chan isn't that good at studying," Kiseki joked.

"Hey, I study," I chuckled. "Oh, and Nana, call me Nova."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I can tell we're going to be good friends, so it's fine."

"Alright," Nana said happily and we all went to get our ice-cream. Yay! Ice-cream!

* * *

I stood in front of the house, my hand shaking as it hovered over the doorknob. Maybe I could just sleep over at the hospital with Kiseki. It would be a lot better than facing Ikuto.

I shook my head. No. I have to do this. Better to do it now than later.

I opened the door. "I'm home," I said in a regular tone, not really wanting to be heard.

There was music coming from Ikuto's room, and I knew not to disturb him and the person he was with, so I wandered to my room and sat the desk by my closet door. I took out the notes I had written down today and began studying.

I didn't want to leave. I liked my home. I _loved _my home. Even if Ikuto was an annoying, overprotective, womanizer who was sometimes never home, I didn't want to leave. I felt comfortable here. I felt comfortable being around Ikuto.

I pulled my legs up and curled into a ball on the chair. I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my forehead on my knees as I cried silently.

* * *

(Nana P. O. V)

"Father, I'm home," I said, but received no respond in return. There was a note on the table by the door. I took the small piece of paper and read it.

_At a meeting about another cooking show. Will be home late. There's some food for you in the microwave._

_~Father_

I nodded, as if Father would see me do so. I wandered into the kitchen and placed my books on the table, where there was also a small box. What was that? Perhaps it was just some imported ingredients for Father. If that's the case, I should put them away.

I opened the box, but instead of seeing ingredients, I saw a beautiful amulet with the symbol for Sagittarius. That was my horoscope sign. I held up the piece of jewelry and held it in my hand. Did Father get this for me? But my birthday isn't for a while.

"Pretty," I said.

I placed the amulet on the table and went to warm-up the leftovers.

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

I awoke in the middle of the night to my phone vibrating by my head. I groaned as I moved my stiff neck and sat up in my chair, noticing that I had fallen asleep at my desk.

I grabbed my phone, "Hello?" I asked in a tired tone.

"Nova! Cardian!" came Kiseki's shout on the other line.

I gasped. "What? _Now_?" I asked, looking at the clock and seeing it was midnight.

"Yes. Next to the TV sta—AHH!"

"Kiseki!" I shouted at the moment the line cut off.

I ran over to my window and opened it wide enough for me to jump out of. I landed safely on the ground below and ran. Once I was a block away from home, I transformed.

"Royal Crystal, Make-Up!"

* * *

I landed on the roof of the TV station and could hear the sound of screams and shattering glass coming from below me. I swung down, entering a random window, and coincidentally, it was the right one.

Sailor Virgo was fighting off the Cardian, which looked to be a . . . Eh? It was one of those things used in movies and shows and stuff. What was that thing called? Time code clapper! That's what it was. It was a time code clapper with a female head, arms, and legs. The Cardian wore a pair of black heels and was attacking Sailor Virgo with film tape.

"Stop right there!" I shouted .

"Action?" The Cardian asked as Sailor Virgo sighed with relief.

"Ruining the place where beautiful and addicting shows is unforgivable!" I began. "For family, love, and justice! The rebellious sailor suited senshi, Sailor Nirvana! And in the name of the stars and moon, I will correct your sins!"

The Cardian bared its teeth at me before jumping back and shouting, "Camera! Action!"

Film tape shout out towards me, which I quickly dodged. I looked over at Sailor Virgo. "We need a quick distraction."

She nodded. "On it. Miracle Rain!"

While the Cardian and its film were dripping wet and confused, Sailor Virgo and I ran out of the room and down the hall. We ran through the many sets, but the Cardian caught up to us as we entered a cooking set. There were still innocent people here, not good.

The Cardian, instead of aiming for Sailor Virgo and I, aimed for the people behind us. That's exactly what I didn't want!

"No!" my friend and I shouted in unison.

Everyone was able to dodge except for one man. He looked to be in his mid-thirties with dirty blonde hair and a thin mustache. He was wrapped in film tape and began to glow pink. The Cardian was sucking his energy!

I turned towards the Cardian and summoned my scythe, ready to attack, when someone shouted.

"Father!"

That voice . . . Sounds . . .

"I-Igarashi-san!" Sailor Virgo whispered and I looked over to see my tutor standing by the door, her eyes wide in horror as she stared at the man being attacked.

"Wait. Father?" I asked. This man was Nana's father?

Nana ran towards him.

"No! Don't!" I said and tackled her to the ground.

"S-Sailor Nirvana?" Nana asked in shock before she began struggling under me. "Let me go! I must save my father!"

"No! If you touch that, your energy will get sucked away too! Let us handle this!" I said.

But Nana was stubborn and shook her head quickly. "No . . . Father . . . FATHER!"

All of a sudden, a bright light formed on Nana's forehead with the sign of Sagittarius. I moved away from her, my eyes wide in shock.

"A-another Sailor Senshi," I whispered as another thing began to glow on Nana. Something in her pocket in the shape of an amulet. Nana suddenly pulled it out and held it tightly in her hands.

"Sagittarius Power, Make-Up!" she shouted and suddenly transformed.

Sailor Virgo, the Cardian, and I all watched in shock as the light around Nana slowly faded to reveal her in a Sailor Senshi outfit.

Nana's glasses were now gone. She had a silver crown on her head with a baby blue gem in the center, baby blue star earrings, a baby blue choker, a baby blue collar with two white stripes, baby blue gem on her front bow, and a baby blue skirt. Both of Nana's bows were a dark blue, along with the second layer of her skirt and her heels. He gloves when just to her wrists and there was a gold gem on the front of her choker.

"Sailor Sagittarius," Sailor Virgo said in utter shock.

Sailor Sagittarius stared down at her outfit in shock. "W-what . . . What's happening?"

"We'll explain later!" I said quickly. "First, try to save your dad. Sailor Virgo and I will take on the Cardian."

Sailor Sagittarius nodded. "Right." She turned towards her father and clasped her hands together before opening them. There was a ball of air between her hands, and as she pulled her hands farther together, the ball grew bigger.

"Lovely Tornado!" Sailor Sagittarius shouted and shot the large ball of air at the film strips surrounding her dad. The Cardian shouted out in pain and released the man.

"Miracle Rain!" Sailor Virgo attacked.

I chuckled and jumped into the air, my scythe high above my head. "My turn!"

But before I could attack, the Cardian reached out and wrapped a film strip around my waist. I gasped out in pain as a jolt ran through my body and my energy slowly began to drain.

"Sailor Nirvana!" both Sailor Senshi shouted.

The Cardian slammed me into a near by wall, knocking all the air out of me.

"Lights! Camera! Acti—AHH!" the Cardian suddenly yelped as something grazed its cheek.

My eyes drooping, I glanced over at the object and saw a bullet. Then, someone slashed the filmstrip that was around my waist and I fell into someone's strong arms.

"Hunter! Scorpio!" Sailor Virgo said in relief.

I looked up slowly and saw Hunter was the one who had grabbed me.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded once.

"You have some nerve picking on these girls!" Scorpio said, pointing his large sword at the Cardian.

"No . . ." I said and struggled to stand up. I wobbled a bit and Hunter hovered a bit around me, ready to grab me if I fell again. "I . . . I want to deliver the final blow."

Scorpio smirked and moved out of the way. "As you wish."

I nodded and gripped my scythe tightly in my hands again. "Sailor Virgo! Sailor Sagittarius!"

"Right!" they both said with a nod.

"Miracle Rain!" Sailor Virgo attacked.

"Lovely Tornado!" Sailor Sagittarius attacked.

The Cardian screamed in agony before being slammed into a wall. Hurts, doesn't it?

I ran forward. "Atonement of The Stars!" I shouted and attacked the Cardian.

"Action~!" it exclaimed before turning into dust.

"We did it!" Sailor Virgo cheered as Sailor Sagittarius ran over to her father and I wobbled backwards. I fell into the protective arms once more and Hunter chuckled.

"You're pretty clumsy, you know that?" he said.

I smiled, too tired to make a comeback. Instead, I closed my eyes and fell asleep leaning against Hunter. I didn't care if we didn't know whether we were enemies or not. Right now I felt safe and that's all that mattered.

Also . . . This feeling was very nostalgic.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, Sailor Virgo, Sagittarius, and I were all on the roof of the TV station.

"Good, you're awake," Sailor Virgo said and smiled. "Are you feeling fine?"

I nodded and sat up. I saw Sailor Sagittarius sitting by her father, her eyes full of confusion as she stared up at the night sky.

"You're a Sailor Senshi," I said.

Sailor Sagittarius looked over at me. "A what?"

"We're not really sure ourselves," Sailor Virgo said. "All we know is that we call ourselves Sailor Senshi, and we're basically the only ones who can kills those monsters you just faced."

"Which, by the way are called Cardians. But we may also run into some Youmas," I added.

"Cardians? Youmas? Sailor Senshi?" Sailor Sagittarius whispered. "It's all so confusing. What about those guys from earlier?"

"You mean Hunter and Scorpio," I said. "Well, we aren't really sure about them either. They call themselves Knights and apparently, they're still recruiting."

"And so are we, it seems," Sailor Virgo said.

I nodded and stood up. I walked over to Sailor Sagittarius and stuck out my hand for her to take. Once she grabbed it, I helped her to her feet and at the same moment, changed into my civilian form.

Sailor Sagittarius gasped. "T-Tsukino-san?!"

I nodded and looked over at Sailor Virgo. "And that's Kiseki. But she can't change back right now because . . . Yeah . . ."

Sailor Virgo smiled and Sailor Sagittarius stared at her white gloves.

"So I'm a Sailor Senshi," she muttered. "Along with you and Takano-san."

I nodded. "But, remember what I told you? I'm Nova!"

"And I'm Kiseki. You don't have to use our last names."

Sailor Sagittarius transformed back into Nana. She smiled and nodded. "Right."

Kiseki walked up beside me and we both stuck our hands out at the same time for Nana to shake. "Welcome to the team," we said in unison.

Nana giggled and shook both our hands. "Glad to be a part of it."

* * *

_**~Two Weeks Later~**_

"No, no, no!" Officer Yamamoto exclaimed.

I nodded and slid the test paper over to his side of the table. "A+! That's even better than what we had bet on," I said. "And I found the paper and showed it to Ikuto," I said.

Ikuto nodded and placed the paper I was talking about on the table. "I even met her tutor."

"But . . . This doesn't count!" Officer Yamamoto shouted. "What if you fail the next test? Or, this was just a fluke!"

I shook my head. "From now on, I will study hard, because!" I rose from my seat and slammed one hand on the table. "This is my home! I love it here and I don't want to leave my home and . . ." I trailed off and glanced at Ikuto briefly. "Yeah . . ." a small blush rose in my cheeks and I quickly sat back down.

Officer Yamamoto was furiously, but finally he sighed. "Fine. A deal is a deal. But, Tsukino-san, if I discover your grades are falling again, or that you're doing things you shouldn't be doing, I'll make sure you're out of my son's life for good!"

I nodded. "That's fair."

Officer Yamamoto huffed and stormed over to the front door. Ikuto and I followed him. As Officer Yamamoto put on his jacket, he glanced at Ikuto.

"I still think you made a bad decision taking her in."

Seriously, this man will never like me.

All of a sudden, Ikuto wrapped one of his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to his side.

"You can think that, but I don't agree. Having Nova here is actually the bestthing I've ever done."

My shock silenced me completely and I stared up at Ikuto curiously, a light blush returning to my cheeks.

Officer Yamamoto didn't say a word as he stormed out of the house and returned to his car. When he drove off, I took a step away from Ikuto to get out of his grip. I looked away from him, feeling awkward.

Ikuto chuckled and, making things worse, pulled me into his arms. He hugged me tightly.

"I'm sorry for doubting you," he said.

" . . . Kay . . ." I said, but it came out a bit muffled from Ikuto holding me so closely. I squirmed in his arms. "C-can you let me go now?" I really wasn't used to all this close contact.

Ikuto stopped hugging me and placed his hand on my head. "Let's celebrate. How does your favorite restaurant sound?"

"Really?" I asked happily.

Ikuto nodded.

"Yay!"

* * *

_**Did anyone actually believe Ikuto and Nova were actually related? If you did, good, my trap worked. X3 I like making my readers extremely shocked. Anyways, I know this was a bit rushed and we hardly learned anything about Nana, so I will try to bring more of her in the next chapter. Please review and look forward to the next chapter.**_

_**~Alice Michaelis**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thank you: Antara for reviewing, and yes. You were right about the last chapter. Also, don't worry about the other Sailor Senshi. ^_^ I have a plan for them to appear later on. Well, that's my little spoiler to you all. Enjoy this chapter. **_

* * *

_**~Chapter 6: Nova's Secret Fear. The Marionette Of Darkness!~**_

"The school festival is coming up," Nana said as I walked her to our classroom. After finding out she was Sailor Sagittarius, Nana quickly transferred to my school and even managed to get into all my classes. She's been attending since yesterday, and before that got a tour of the school, and yet she still gets lost, so that's why I decided to help her out until she finally gets it. After all, that's what friends are for.

I nodded. "I'm not really into that kind of thing, though," I admitted.

"Why not? Sounds fun."

I shrugged. "Maybe to you. But not to me." After all, people still call me Weird Eyes and bully me relentlessly when they get the chance.

As Nana and I entered the classroom, I saw the chalkboard was already covered in ideas for what our class would do for the festival. So far, it seemed coffee shop was at the top of the list. Nana and I quietly sat at our seats and listened to the three students debating at the front of the classroom at the moment.

"Coffee shops are so cliché," a girl said to another girl who was holding a piece of pink chalk and stood firmly in front of the board. She's obviously the one who is writing down all the ideas, and if I'm not mistaken, I believe she's the class president.

"Yeah," the only boy in the debate agreed with the girl. "To be honest, I think class 2-B is already doing that, and I also heard another class might as well."

"Well, what do you suppose we do then?" the girl with the chalk asked stubbornly.

A guy two desks in front of mine stood up. "How about a pastry shop."

"That's pretty much the same thing as having the coffee shop," a girl sitting next to him said.

The guy looked disappointed as he nodded and sat back down.

The class president sighed and glanced around the classroom. "Any other ideas?"

Nana suddenly raised her hand before standing up. Since the whole class had already met her yesterday, she didn't need to introduce herself.

"Marionettes," was all she said.

Everyone was silent and just stared at the blue haired girl with wide eyes.

"Eh?" the class president asked. "M-marionettes?"

Nana nodded and began to explain. "When I was in France, I noticed a lot of people with marionettes. It was very popular, and a very good crowd pleaser. I think it would be perfect for the festival, seeing as children will also come. And it is also unique, so everyone will want to come see. Don't you agree?" Nana glanced around the class enthusiastically, but I wasn't looking at her.

I had my eyes glued to the window as images flashed in my mind of creepy puppets staring down and laughing at me. A really stupid thought, I know, but I couldn't help it! I wasn't a puppet person.

There was silence in the classroom as I secretly begged for no one to want the plan. I begged and begged in my mind, but it didn't work.

"That's a perfect idea!" the girl who was debating with the class president chimed happily. "We should do that, Mei-chan!"

The class president nodded and gave a large smile. "Right. Whoever agrees, say 'hay'!"

The whole class broke into a chorus, "Hay!" they all chimed and raised their hands enthusiastically.

No, no, no, no, no!

I rested my forehead on my desk and sighed. Great. There went my peace of mind.

* * *

"Where are you going to find a person to perform?" Kiseki asked Nana as the three of us sat at Fruit Parlor CROWN, which was the café Sakura and Ren's family owned along with the arcade.

I quietly drank my strawberry soda as the two girls talked.

"To be honest, I don't know," Nana sighed and blew at her hot tea before taking a sip. "I wish I had thought about that before I opened my mouth."

"Don't worry, Nana-chan. We'll start looking right away. I bet it won't be that hard to find someone. Right, Nova-chan?" Kiseki asked, turning her happy emerald eyes towards me.

"Huh?" I asked, jumping out of my thoughts. "Oh, um, yeah. It shouldn't be that hard."

Nana smiled. "Thanks you two."

Kiseki and I smiled and nodded when the blonde suddenly gasped.

"Oh, right, there was something I wanted to talk to you two about."

"What is it?" I asked Kiseki as she pulled out her _Apple _Tablet and placed it on the table. She tapped away at the screen as Nana and I watched curiously.

"It's about us," Kiseki began to explain. Her voice dropped lower as she continued, "About us being Sailor Senshi."

Nana and I nodded and let her continue.

Kiseki's voice went back to normal. "Well, I got this strange email yesterday. One thing strange about it is that it tells me who sent it to me, but I am unable to email them back."

"What's the email address?" I asked curiously.

"There is no email address, just the name. That is why I can not reply. The name is just UsagiOnTheMoon630."

"UsagiOnTheMoon630?" Nana asked, clearly confused. "I don't know anyone named Usagi, do any of you?"

Kiseki and I shook our heads.

"So what was the message anyways?" I asked.

"It is actually a recording. Here, you two listen to it," Kiseki said. She plugged her pink earphones into the Tablet and gave Nana and I each one earphone. I put it in my left ear, while Nana put it in her right.

Kiseki tapped something on the screen, and the message began playing.

It was a robotic female voice, which was even more strange than the name on the email.

**Good Evening, Sailor Virgo. Do not be alarmed about me knowing your identity, I am not a threat. You can call me Boss. I am here to tell you and the other Sailor Senshi, Sailor Sagittarius and Sailor Nirvana, that there are more of you. You must find the other warriors before the night grows black and a red star falls. **

**So far there are three of you, but the others must quickly be found so that the Zodiac Guardians can come together once more and protect the people on Earth.**

**Show this message to the others. They must hear this. Goodbye for now, Sailor Virgo, Sailor Sagittarius, and Sailor Nirvana.**

The message stopped there, but my heart continued to pound hard in my chest as I took the earbud out and gave it back to Kiseki.

"Boss?" Nana asked.

Kiseki nodded. "I was just as shocked as you two when I received the message. The person says she is not a threat, but . . ."

Nana and I nodded, knowing where Kiseki was going to say.

"Well, at least we finally have an answer to one of the long asked questions," I said. "There are more of us, like . . . _Boss _said."

"She said Zodiac Guardians. Is that what we are?" Nana asked. "We are the Zodiac Guardians?"

"Yes," Kiseki answered and pushed a lock of her wavy blonde hair behind her ear. "We must be. After all, we are named after zodiac signs. Virgo and Sagittarius."

"But I'm not," I pointed out. "Nirvana isn't a zodiac. In fact, mine has nothing to do with the stars."

"Yes, but you must also be part of the Zodiac Guardians because Boss said to tell you as well," Kiseki muttered. "Anyways, she also said we needed to find them all before—"

"The night grows black and a red star falls," Nana and I finished in unison.

"But what does that mean?" I groaned and leaned back on the bench we were sitting on. "The night grows black and a red star falls," I whispered. "Red star? The sun?" I gasped and looked at both of my friends. "Is that what she meant?"

"Possibly," Kiseki said, her voice worried.

"If she is talking about the sun, how does Boss expect us to stop it from falling?" Nana asked, also sounding worried.

The three of us remained solemnly silent. I sighed and glanced out the window as we thought. I suddenly came face to face with a circular white face staring back at me from the other side of the glass. Large, glass purple eyes stared into mine before rolling carelessly around as the mouth fell open in an instant.

I yelped and moved away from the glass as the puppet continued to stare at me. It was a king, apparently, with a gold crown and fancy looking red robe outlines by black and white fur.

Kiseki and Nana both looked at it, then up at the man who was holding it. He was an elderly man with graying black hair and warm brown eyes. He chuckled before walking into the café and towards me friends and I.

I remained silent and just stared at the puppet with wide eyes.

"Sorry about that," the man said. "I was passing by, and you looked a bit sad, so I thought I would cheer you up," the man said to me. He extended his free hand towards me, continuing to smile tenderly. "I am Steven Golding. I'm originally from France, but decided to pay Japan a visit."

I nodded and shook his hand wearily. I forced a smile onto my face. "N-nice to meet you. I'm Nova Tsukino."

Kiseki and Nana were more eager to meet the man. They both shook his hand and introduced himself.

"Nana Igarashi."

"Kiseki Takami."

"Nice to meet you three," Mr. Golding said.

"Um, Golding-san," Nana said. "You actually came at a great time. You see, a school festival is coming up, and we were all just talking about how we couldn't find a puppet master to come and entertain the visitors."

Mr. Golding nodded. "I see. That explains the long faces I saw. Well, I would love to volunteer. Many of my friends have told me about school festivals, and I have always been interested in going to one. But it will be even better if I can perform in one."

"Really?" Nana said happily. "Thank you so much, Golding-san!"

While the two continued to talk and Nana gave Mr. Golding all the information about the festival, I just continued to force my eyes away from the marionette. Kiseki caught on to this and leaned over towards me as she whispered.

"Nova-chan, what's wrong? Are you . . . Perhaps . . . Scared of the—"

I shook my head and laughed it off. "No. Of course not. Why would I?" I laughed some more.

Kiseki stared at me stubbornly. "Liar," she said.

"I'm not lying," I said curtly.

"You're bad at lying."

"I'm not lying."

"Liar."

I looked away and didn't say another word because I couldn't think of anything to say.

* * *

Ikuto came to pick the three of us up about an hour later. Mr. Golding had already gone long ago, everything already set up for him to come to the festival.

Nana and Kiseki got into the back of Ikuto's BMW, while I sat in the passenger side. I knew the real reason Ikuto had come to pick me up, and it made me a bit angry that he was so protective. I was out longer than I had said I would be, so most likely he was going around looking for me when he finally found me.

We dropped off Nana first, she thanked Ikuto before getting out the car and going into her home. Next was Kiseki.

"I'll go get the wheelchair from the trunk," I said and got out the car once we arrived at the hospital.

* * *

(Kiseki P. O. V)

When Nova-chan exited the car, I decided this was the perfect chance to ask Ikuto-kun the question I had been wondering for a while now.

"Ikuto-kun," I said.

"Yeah?" he asked as he glanced out his side window.

"Well, today, we happened to run into a man with a puppet, and it seemed Nova-chan was a bit fidgety around it. Is she . . . I mean . . . Does Nova-chan . . ."

"Have a fear of puppets?" Ikuto-kun asked with a smirk on his lips. He turned his handsome face towards me, gray eyes kind as he nodded. "For as long as I've known her, Nova has had a great fear of puppets. The things just freak her out, there's no deep meaning to it."

"I see."

"But Nova is too stubborn to admit her fears. I'm guessing she lied . . . _badly _and said she wasn't afraid. Right?"

I laughed nervously, right on the mark. "Yeah. That's exactly how it was. You know her well, Ikuto-kun. I would have continued thinking you two were siblings if Nova-chan didn't tell me the truth."

Ikuto-kun glanced back out his window as Nova-chan finally managed to open the wheelchair and was coming to the back of the car where I was.

"So she told you," Ikuto-kun muttered before Nova-chan came.

"Was she not suppose to?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. That just means Nova really trust you if she admitted that to you."

I remained silent when Nova-chan opened the door. She helped me into the chair and brought me back to my room.

"Hey, Nova-chan," I said before my friend left.

"Yeah?" she asked and turned her blue and red eyes towards me. "What is it?"

"You said you and Ikuto-kun were not related," I began.

She nodded. "Yeah. I was adopted."

"Well, what about your real family? What about them?" I looked away from Nova-chan, a bit worried to see her expression for some reason.

There was a long silence. I peaked over at my close friend from the corner of my eyes and saw she was staring off into the distance, her eyes far away.

"Nova-chan?" I asked.

"My real family?" she muttered before looking at me. Nova-chan smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. I might not even have one anymore for all I know."

"Does this mean, you're the same as me, Nova-chan? You don't remember your past?"

Nova chuckled. "You caught me."

"Huh?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah," Nova-chan admitted. "I don't remember, just like you. We're the same in that way, that's why I really wanted to be your friend when you told me that, Kiseki. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I guess I'm just not used to telling anyone the truth besides Ikuto, seeing as he was the first one there for me."

"How did you meet Ikuto-kun?"

At that question, Nova-chan placed a finger to her lips. "Sorry," she said apologetically, her eyes sorrowful. "I can't tell you that, not just yet. But I will, in the future. See you tomorrow, Kiseki."

I nodded and watched my friend leave.

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

Weird. I wonder why Kiseki suddenly asked me those questions. Oh well, I don't mind. I'm actually glad I was able to tell her the truth about me. It feels nice to be able to tell someone besides Ikuto. I feel like a little weight has been taken off my shoulders.

As I got back into Ikuto's car, I glanced over at him.

"I'm guessing while I was gone, you and Kiseki were having a little chat," I said with a smirk that matched the one that appeared on Ikuto's lips.

"We may have talked a bit," he said and began driving home. "Why? Was there something I wasn't suppose to tell her?"

I shook my head. "It didn't bother me. Kiseki is the same as me, so it wasn't hard to tell her some more stuff."

"Did you tell her how we met?" Ikuto asked, his voice low and his smirk gone.

I shook my head. "Not that. No one but us knows about that."

Ikuto nodded.

* * *

The day of the festival seemed to come faster than expected. I dreaded it so and just wanted to stay home, but stupid Ikuto wouldn't let me. So here I was, trying my best to avoid Mr. Golding and his puppet, which I just discovered was named Rey, the Spanish word for king.

"There you are, Nova-chan!"

I gasped and glanced over my shoulder at Nana. She walked over to me and smiled. "Come on, the first show is going to start soon, don't you want to see?"

"Well . . ." I said slowly. "Um . . . You see. The thing is . . ."

Nana grabbed my hand and began pulling me along. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Ah, w-wait, Nana," I stuttered as she pulled me along.

"Well, if it isn't little Usagi!"

Due to pure instinct, I completely forgot about the matter at hand and glared over at the voice. "Ren, my name is Nova!" Sheesh. This was starting to become a very bad habit.

Ren laughed as he approached Nana and I. My friend instantly fell silent as Ren looked over at her briefly, then me.

Ren was dressed casually. A pair of light blue jeans, black sneakers, and a gray thermal shirt. His white hair was messy as always, and his gold eyes were mocking as he looked down at me.

"So what did you class do?" he asked.

"Puppet . . . Show . . ." I admitted and glanced away angrily, my cheeks puffed out stubbornly.

"A puppet show? Isn't that a bit childish?" Ren asked, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"No, actually it is quite popular!" Nana blurted, finally speaking before she gasped and fell silent again.

I glanced over at her curiously and saw she was blushing and looking away from Ren and I. Oy vey! Don't tell me Nana has a crush on Ren too! First Kiseki, now her? Who's next?!

"Really? Then maybe I should go check it out," he said as he stared at Nana. "I'm Ren Sakigami, and you are?"

"N-Nana Igarashi."

Ren smiled nicely, much to my shock. "Nice to meet you."

Nana's blush only grew darker, and my stomach just became more nauseous watching this.

Ren looked back at me and smirked. "By the way, Nova, aren't you afraid of pu—"

I shouted out to stop Ren and grabbed Nana's wrist. "Got to go. By Ren!" I shouted before pulling my friend along and running away from the stupid albino.

"H-he's so handsome," Nana marveled as we were far away from Ren.

"No he isn't. He's super ugly and annoying," I grumbled.

Nana giggled before staring off into the distance, a dreamy look in her blue eyes. "I hope I get to meet him again today."

I just rolled my eyes as Nana and went outside to head to the booth our class had put up. I took in a deep breathe and tried to remain calm as I approached Mr. Golding and his marionette Rey. Nana was still marveling over Ren, so she wasn't even paying attention to the show.

The little kids really liked Mr. Golding's performance, and even some of the adults. They all laughed at the jokes, and I will admit, they were pretty funny so even I was laughing. In fact, I didn't feel so afraid of Rey anymore.

"Good to see you're doing well," a male voice said from beside me.

I glanced up and saw Ikuto smiling down at me.

"Hi, Nova-chan!" Kiseki greeted, showing herself from the other side of Ikuto. So they were both here, great.

I waved at Kiseki before looking up at Ikuto. "It isn't as bad as I thought it would be," I admitted.

"Most of the times fears aren't," he said. "Once you face them, you see how dumb the fear really was."

I nodded just as Mr. Golding finished his first show and went to take a break. The crowd cheered like crazy, they really liked it. At that same moment, my stomach growled.

Nana, Kiseki, and Ikuto all fell silent. I laughed awkwardly and placed a hand on my stomach as a blush tinted my cheeks.

"I skipped breakfast," I laughed.

All three of them sighed and said my name in disappointed unison. I just kept laughing.

"Alright," Ikuto said. "Come on you three, I'll get you all some food."

"Really?" Nana and Kiseki said happily in unison. "Thank you, Ikuto-kun!"

"Food!" I chimed happily and grabbed Ikuto's hand to make him move faster. "Come on, come on, food!"

"Can't you thank me like your _polite _and _thankful _friends?" Ikuto grumbled.

"Nova-chan should act more lady-like," Nana said as we walked over to a fried noodle stand.

"Lady-like?" I asked. "Aren't I already lady-like?"

Silence.

"You guys are cruel," I muttered.

* * *

( ? P. O. V)

"They seem to be having fun."

"Yup, yup." _Munch, munch, munch._

"What are you eating?"

"Meat dumplings."

"Didn't you just finish two bowls of fried noodles?"

"Yeah, but this festival has so many delicious foods, I just couldn't help eating more."

_Sigh. _

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

As we were all eating, Nana glanced over towards our class' booth.

"Golding-san is going up again," she said.

"Cool," I said.

Ikuto grabbed a napkin and wiped my cheek with it. "Don't talk with your mouth full," he said. "And try not to get so dirty."

"Stop, I'm not a little kid," I complained. "I can clean my face myself."

"Oh, Nova-chan," Nana said as she stood up and threw away her food in a near by trashcan. "Golding-san wanted me to get him a few props for him. They're in the classroom, can you go get them please?"

I finished the last of my food and nodded. "Sure."

I went back into the school, the hallways were all empty as I made my way to the classroom, but as I approached the music room, I heard a soft melody.

I stopped in the middle of the hall and listened closely. The melody was coming from a piano. It was soft and very nostalgic to me. Where had I heard this melody before?

I walked up to the music room door and slid it open. The jet black grand piano stood by the window, the sun shining on it. The person continued to play, either not noticing my entrance, or not caring enough to stop. I approached the person, knowing him well enough to get closer.

The music came to a slow stop and Orion glanced over at me, the sun shining and casting a golden aura to appear around him. He looked away and glanced out the window. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't be in here, but I got the sudden urge to play the piano."

I shook my head and smiled. "No, it's fine. I really liked that song. What's the name of it?"

"Star Melody," Orion answered and looked back at me.

"Star Melody," I whispered to myself, the name not as nostalgic as the sound of the music.

Orion moved away from the piano. He was wearing casual clothing too. Dark jeans, black shoes, a black leather jacket, and a white undershirt. As usual, his black hair covered one of his eyes.

"So how are you liking the festival?" I asked as we stepped out of the music room and into the empty hall.

Orion shrugged. "I'm not really a fan of these kinds of things."

"Neither am I," I said. "But this year, it's pretty fun."

"What is your class in charge of?" he asked as we approached my classroom.

I walked over to Nana's desk where a white bag was. I peaked inside and saw a few props. Good, I found them. I wrapped the handle of the bag around my wrist and turned back towards the door.

"Well, we hired a guy with a marionette," I said. "The crowd really likes it."

Orion hummed in reply. "I'm not really a fan of marionettes."

"I'm not either, but that puppet is pretty interesting. And the jokes Golding-san comes up with are very funny."

He just nodded and we remained in silence for a bit before I brought something else up.

"So who did you come here with?" I asked. "Did you come by yourself?"

"No. I'm here with a friend, but he ditched me, so now I don't know where he is."

"That's a bad friend," I muttered.

Orion chuckled. "Annoying too."

"That's cruel. I'm not annoying!" a voice said from behind Orion and I.

We both glanced back and saw Ren. He walked over to Orion and I and ruffled my hair, messing up my odangos. I grumbled and put my black locks back in place.

"You two know each other?" Orion asked Ren, pointing between Ren and I.

Ren nodded. "And you know Usagi too I see."

"Usagi?" Orion asked.

"It's a dumb nickname he keeps calling me, and I keep telling him not to call me that," I said and placed my hands on my hips. I glared at Ren briefly before looking up at Orion curiously. "You know Ren?"

He nodded and pointed his thumb over at the albino. "He's the annoying, ditching friend we were just talking about."

"Oh," I said and smirked. "We should also add ugly and obnoxious to that list."

Orion chuckled again and nodded. "Yup."

"You know," Ren said and placed his arm on my head like I was a coffee table or something. "you two are pretty hurtful."

I rolled my eyes and stared down at the white bag in my hand. "Well, I better hurry up and bring this to Golding-san." I moved away from Ren's arm before bowing quickly to Orion. "It was nice to see you again, Orion-kun," I said happily before running off to head outside.

But before I stepped foot out of the school, I suddenly got this very ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach. I froze in my tracks and glanced around. Where was it coming from?

There was suddenly a scream from outside. I gasped and burst out of the school, only to see people collapsing all over the place. My eyes widened in disbelief, when suddenly, everyone began to shine with a blue light. It looked like the light was being sucked away . . .

"Energy," I whispered.

"Nova-chan!" Kiseki and Nana called out to me as they came over.

"What happened?" I asked.

They both shrugged.

"We're just as confused as you," Kiseki said.

"Where's Ikuto?" I asked, frightened that he might be attacked again.

"He just left. He said he had to go to work," Kiseki said, much to my relief.

"Let's hurry and transform. I feel a Cardian is behind this," Nana told me.

I nodded and the three of us ran back into the school to hide from any unnecessary witnesses.

I grabbed my cross brooch and held it up in the air. "Royal Crystal, Make-Up!"

Kiseki and Nana grabbed their pendants and held them in the air.

"Virgo Power, Make-Up!" Kiseki shouted.

"Sagittarius Power, Make-Up!" Nana shouted.

The three of us transformed and ran back outside. We ran past all the bodies, trying to find the source behind all of this.

All of a sudden, something came crashing down in front of the three of us. We jumped back to avoid the attack obviously directed at us and stared at what had crashed.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at the once tiny marionette, Rey. He was suddenly freakishly large and his purple eyes had turned red, but his poofy white hair remained the same. Rey stood up a bit shakily, his mouth dropping open like a nutcracker's before shutting again with a _clack_.

"Well, well. What a lucky find," a deep voice said. "Three girls full of nothing but great energy."

I growled under my breathe just as the person who had spoken appeared from behind Rey. It was obviously Mr. Golding. But, he looked completely different. His skin was now as porcelain white as the marionette; his hair the same powdery, curly white as Rey as well. A golden crown had suddenly appeared on his head, a golden staff in his hand. He was dressed in a magnificent robe, and regarded my fellow Senshis and I with a smirk.

"Youma," Sailor Virgo and I grumble in unison.

"Youma?" Sailor Sagittarius asked.

"Our other enemy," I explained. "Luckily, they're weaker than Cardians, so this shouldn't take long."

"How wrong you are, foolish girl," Mr. Golding said. "I am a youma, yes. But Rey here _is _a Cardian."

Damn. This would be a hard battle. No matter.

I stood up straight and placed a hand on my hip as I pointed a finger at both Rey and Mr. Golding. "How dare you taint the happiness of a school festival with your evil tricks! Ruining the fun of others is unforgivable! For family, love, and justice! The rebellious sailor suited Senshi, Sailor Nirvana!"

"Likewise, Sailor Virgo!"

"Likewise, Sailor Sagittarius!"

"And in the name of the stars and moon, we will correct your sins!" the three of us finished in unison.

Both Youma and Cardian merely laughed before Mr. Golding pointed his staff at us. "Go, Rey!"

"Rule!" Rey shouted as he lunged for us.

My friends and I all shouted out as we dodged the attack of the doll. Rey came back for another attack, but Sailor Sagittarius got him just in time.

"Lovely Tornado!" she shouted and blew the doll into a near by tree.

Rey slammed against the thing, but wasn't harmed. He jumped back up and came charging again.

"Miracle Rain!" Sailor Virgo attacked.

"You two take care of the Cardian, I'm going for the Youma," I said.

Sailor Sagittarius and Sailor Virgo both nodded and I went after Mr. Golding who had run off just a while ago. I followed him into the school, but as I stepped onto the second floor, I lost him.

"Order! Order!" the Youma's voice boomed around me, but I still couldn't see him anywhere. "The king orders for that girl to be destroyed!"

"And who's going to listen to you?" I asked as I took a few steps forward.

I should have never asked that because all of a sudden, a million puppets appeared before me. All of them were dressed as commoners, jesters, and people of the court. All their eyes were piercing red and they walked towards me a bit shakily.

I took a step back, fear suddenly gripping me.

"Aw~, is the warrior afraid of my puppets?"

"Don't mock me!" I boomed, but my body was shaking a bit.

"Attack my followers!" the Youma shouted, suddenly appearing behind the army of marionettes.

They all lunged at me, and I tried my best to dodge them, but with their strings, they had me in no time and slammed me into a near by wall. I cried out in pain and tried to free myself from the strings, but it was useless.

The dolls and Youma began to approach me, and my fear was just growing worse and worse.

_Stupid Nova! _I scolded myself. _How can you be so scared of this? Aren't you a warrior? Warriors shouldn't be afraid of such childish things!_

I nodded at myself and quickly summoned my scythe. I used it to break the strings binding me before lunging forward and slashing through most of the puppets.

"Atonement of the Stars!" I shouted and then attacked again, getting rid of the rest of the puppets. All that was left now was the Youma.

But Mr. Golding wasn't upset. He merely laughed and I suddenly felt a million tiny hands grabbing me from behind. I gasped as more marionettes had suddenly appeared and were pulling down into their mob. I struggled against their grips, but they were so freakishly strong!

"Get away from her!" Bullets from a gun were fired and some of the puppets around me shattered into pieces.

The Youma looked behind me in shock, as I looked with relief.

"Hunter!" I chimed happily.

Hunter held a silver pistol in both hands and began shooting at more dolls until I was finally released. He walked over to me.

"Thanks," I said.

He nodded and glanced at Mr. Golding. "Hurry and get rid of him. Your friends and Scorpio need your help."

"Right," I said.

"N-now hold on!" the Youma said, suddenly frightened as he began to step away from Hunter and I.

I charged forward and attacked. "Atonement of the Stars!"

One Youma gone, one Cardian to go.

Hunter and I jumped out one of the windows on the second floor and landed safely outside. We ran to where my friends and Scorpio were fighting the Cardian. Hunter shot about ten bullets at the thing, but that merely stopped Rey for a moment.

"Miracle Rain!" Sailor Virgo attacked.

"Lovely Tornado!" Sailor Sagittarius fired.

Both their attacks combined, and I decided to add mine to make it even stronger.

"Atonement of the Stars!" I attacked and watched as all three attacks merged into one large ball before slamming into Rey.

The marionette shouted out in pain before being destroyed.

"We did it," I muttered happily.

I glanced up at Hunter and stared at the smile on his face, seeing as it was the only part of his face I could see due to the hood.

Hunter rested his hand on my head. "Good job, Sailor Nirvana. Till next time."

Scorpio and Hunter were gone after that, leaving my friends and I behind just as the people around us began to wake up.

"Uh oh. Let's hurry and change back," I said.

"Right," Sailor Virgo and Sailor Sagittarius said in unison with a nod.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you Lilac Wolf for reviewing and everyone for reading. Now, on to the tale!**_

* * *

_**~Chapter 7: Twin Lives. Nova's Lovely Singing~**_

The house was quiet, Ikuto was already asleep, but I wasn't. I sat by my window and stared up at the full moon that shined brightly up above. Whenever I looked up at it, I was filled with this strange sensation. It was a mixture of sadness and joy, but I didn't know why I felt the strange feeling.

I glanced at my pillow before walking over and grabbing the small pocket watch I always kept underneath it. The watch has never moved for as long as I can remember, and not even Ikuto can get it fixed.

I sighed and placed it back under my pillow before I pulled the blanket over me and fell asleep.

* * *

"AHHH! I'M LATE . . . AGAIN!" I screamed as I ran down the stairs.

"Nova," Ikuto called behind me.

"Can't talk! I'm going to be late!"

"It's Sunday."

"I . . . Huh?" I asked dumbly and turned to glance at Ikuto.

There was a smirk on his face, his gray eyes full of amusement. "Do you really want to go to school that badly?"

"Uh . . ." a blush of embarrassment passed over my cheeks. I went back up the stairs without another word and closed my room door behind me to change out of my uniform.

When I was done, I went back downstairs and into the living room. Ikuto was speaking to someone on the phone as I sat next to him quietly.

"Right, tomorrow at two," Ikuto said with a nod. "I'll be there."

"New job?" I asked when he hung up the phone.

Ikuto nodded. "With the most popular pop idol at the moment."

"Pop idol? Who is it?"

"Misao Sato."

"Misao . . . Sato . . .?"

"You don't know who she is?" Ikuto asked me in shock.

I shook my head slowly.

"Have you ever heard the song Whimsical Star?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's a good song."

"She sang that."

"Oh," I muttered.

"You're telling me you liked a song without knowing the artist?" Ikuto asked as if I were dumb.

I glared at him. "Hey, I have more important things to worry about than who sung a song."

"You're only sixteen. I doubt you have a lot of important things to worry about," Ikuto muttered.

If only he knew.

I stood up from my seat. "I'm leaving," I said with a single wave.

"Don't do anything illegal."

"Never do," I said as I opened the front door and put on my knee-high black Converses.

Ikuto just chuckled and I was off.

I called Kiseki and Nana and told them to meet me at the arcade (that I was still banned from by Ikuto, by the way). When I got to the arcade, they still weren't there, so I decided to play some Sailor V: REBORN!

I didn't get out until I had beaten my last high score. When I left the booth, Kiseki and Nana had just entered the arcade and both waved at me.

"So this is the arcade Kiseki-chan told me about," Nana said as the two approached me.

I nodded.

"And the one you're banned from," the smart girl added.

I chuckled nervously. "Well . . ."

"She never listens," Ren said, popping out of nowhere and placing his arm on my head.

"Ren-kun," Kiseki said happily and Nana grew very quiet and red.

"Why do you always pop out of nowhere?" I grumbled.

"I work here, remember? So technically, why do you always appear at the arcade?" Ren asked.

"Because Nova-chan secretly enjoys seeing Ren-kun," Kiseki giggled.

"Y-yeah right!" I exclaimed, my own face beginning to burn in embarrassment and nothing more!

Ren laughed and took his arm off my head. "Well, I have to get back to boring work. Try not to start any fights, Usagi."

"Nova," I said curtly.

"See, he even has a nickname for you," Kiseki continued to tease.

"You're so cruel," I chuckled and glanced at Nana who was staring down at her black Mary-Janes. "You have a crush on him?" I whispered in her ear.

"E-eh? N-no! Of course not!" Nana stuttered, her head snapping upwards and revealing her red face that was brighter than Rudolf's nose.

"Oh? Nana-chan likes Ren-kun?" Kiseki asked innocently. "I never knew those kind of men were your type."

I nodded. "Yeah. Why him?"

"C-can we just talk about something e-else?" my friend stuttered to ask impatiently.

I nodded again and giggled. "Fine. Come on, let's go to the café."

"Right," both my friends said and followed me.

As the three of us walked down the street, we passed by a music store that was playing Misao Sato's song, Whimsical Star through the outside speakers.

_The stars shining so bright in the sky,_

_shall always remain and never die._

_I look up at them and release a tear._

_The stars protect everyone here._

_Whenever I stare up at the bright moon,_

_I see a princess who will appear soon._

_I want to stand beside that girl,_

_and help her to protect this precious world._

I stopped in front of the music store and listened to the song, a nostalgic feeling coming over me like it always did when I listened to this.

_The star in my heart_

_keeps me from falling apart._

_My purpose to survive._

_The thing that keeps me alive._

_With the moon as my guide,_

_and my star inside,_

_I will become brave._

_I will keep everyone safe._

The melody began to come to an end, but my nostalgia remained. It made me a bit angry, because I felt like I should be remembering something, but nothing came into my mind. Everything was blank, and it really got me mad. What was I suppose to remember? What was making this feeling show?

"Nova-chan?" Kiseki and Nana asked in unison.

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that," I said and started walking again. "That song just made me feel nostalgic is all."

"You too?" both my friends asked together. Sheesh. They were starting to seem like twins.

"Too?" I asked.

"I also feel nostalgic whenever I listen to Whimsical Star," Nana explained.

"Me too. I feel like I should remember something when I listen to it, but nothing comes to mind," Kiseki said.

"That's exactly how I feel," I muttered. "I wonder why that song makes us feel that way."

Nana shrugged. "Who knows. A lot of strange things occur in our lives that we just don't have the answers too."

I suddenly got a plan in my mind. I glanced at Nana and Kiseki and smiled.

"What are you planning, Nova-chan?" Kiseki asked.

"Well, Ikuto is going to be modeling with Misao Sato tomorrow," I said slyly.

Nana and Kiseki sent each other a worried glance.

"How about we go and meet her?" I asked.

"Are you sure about that, Nova-chan?" Kiseki asked.

"Why not?" I replied. "Maybe if we meet her, we can find out one answer to our list of many questions."

"I guess," Kiseki mumbled.

"Good. Then it's settled. I'll tell Ikuto to expect us."

* * *

"EH?! What do you mean we can't go?" I asked Ikuto that night after I told him my friends and I would go attend his photo shoot.

"No is no, Nova," Ikuto replied. "I can't just have you bringing a bunch of your friends to my photo shoots."

"But you never cared before!"

"Because this time is different. This time there will be a very famous pop idol there."

"But please?" I begged and grabbed onto Ikuto's arm as he was about to walk away from me. I dragged him down by clinging tightly to his arm. "Pretty please? Please, please, _please_?"

"Nova, enough!" Ikuto said sternly and tried prying me off his arm, but I wouldn't budge. "Maybe next time."

"But next time might not be with Misao Sato!"

"Why are you suddenly so interested in meeting her anyways? You barely knew who she was this morning."

I pouted, my bottom lip sticking out. "Still," I mumbled.

Ikuto sighed. "I can't let you in this time, Nova. I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Hmm," I whined and began shaking Ikuto's arm. "Try harder! Get me in!"

"Nova!" Ikuto shouted and tried getting me off him again. "Stop it!"

Ikuto finally managed to pry me off of him, and I sighed irritably.

"Fine," I said.

"Good," Ikuto retorted and went up to his room.

When he closed the door behind him, I chuckled darkly to myself. Like I would seriously give up so easily. Nova never gives up.

* * *

"Um, Nova-chan," Kiseki whispered.

"Yeah?" I whispered back.

"Why are we sneaking into the photo shoot?"

"Uh . . . Well . . . You see . . ."

"I thought Ikuto-san was here," Nana whispered. "So why do we need to sneak in?"

"Ikuto said I couldn't come," I admitted.

"So we're basically breaking his rules to come here," Nana stated.

"Pretty much," I said. "Now let's keep moving."

Since we were already in the photo shoot area and there was no turning back, Kiseki and Nana kept following me. We hid behind trees and bushes, getting closer and closer to the cameras and models.

"What happens if we get caught, Nova-chan?" Kiseki asked, her voice quivering in fear.

"We won't, trust me," I said as we moved to behind another tree.

"Who's there?!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Nana, Kiseki, and I all gasped and were about to run off, but we tripped over one another and came tumbling down.

"So much for not getting caught," Nana whispered.

I didn't say anything.

Someone approached the three of us. "Who are you girls and why are you sneaking around the photo shoot?" a female voice demanded.

"S-sorry," Kiseki stuttered and looked up. She then gasped. "You're."

"Eh?" Nana and I asked in unison and looked up as well. We gasped. "Misao Sato!"

Misao Sato in the flesh was the person who had seen us. Her skin was milk chocolate brown, and her eyes silver. Her straight hair was teal before fading to red at the bottom and reached to just above her shoulders. She was dressed in a simple white tee, jean shorts, and black ballet flats.

Misao Sato's eyes widened when she stared at my friends and I. "The girls from my dream," she whispered in shock.

"Dream?" I asked.

"Come with me," Misao Sato said urgently.

We followed her to her dressing room, the whole time I was trying to keep myself from being seen by Ikuto. One, I had left school early to come here; two, I wasn't suppose to be here; and three, he would be even angrier at me because I also made Kiseki and Nana leave school early. But, in my defense, they really wanted to come and didn't mind skipping the rest of the school day.

We entered a large trailer, one wall lined with the most beautiful clothes I had ever seen. My friends and I sighed in amazement while Misao Sato walked over to a seat in front of a large mirror and sat down. She turned towards us and crossed her legs and arms.

"What are your names?" she asked.

"Kiseki Takami."

"Nana Igarashi."

"Nova Tsukino."

"Nova?" Misao Sato asked and blinked in confusion. "The same Nova that Ikuto-sama is always talking about."

He talks about me? How embarrassing. "W-what exactly does he say?" I asked.

She smiled and shrugged. "What doesn't he say? He pretty much goes on and on about you. At first he was saying how annoying you were, but then he started talking about how nice you can be. But then he went back to badmouthing you, and then he went back to complimenting. You're pretty much the only thing on his mind."

There were no words to describe how red I was. I didn't know where to put my face, so I just stared down at the floor and said nothing. I could feel Kiseki and Nana's sly looks, seeing as both of them now knew Ikuto and I weren't really related.

"Anyways, you guys already know who I am," Misao Sato said. "But please don't call me Misao-sama, Misao-san, or anything like that. Just Misao is fine."

We all nodded.

"Um, Misao, you said something about a dream earlier?" Nana asked as I finally looked up, my face no longer red.

Misao nodded. "I know it sounds pretty crazy, but I've seen you three before in a dream. Well, not just one dream, many. I didn't think you girls actually existed."

"What kind of dreams are these?" Kiseki asked.

Misao sat up straight and glanced into the mirror at her own reflection. "Well, at first it was just me seeing you three walking down the street. Then it changed to me actually meeting you three." Misao turned back to us and smiled. "And then becoming close friends."

"Friends?" I asked, clearly shocked.

Misao nodded and stood up. She walked over to me and grabbed both my hands in hers. "So what do you say? Friends?"

"Of course!" Kiseki and Nana exclaimed before I could say yes myself. So I just smiled and nodded.

"Yay! Thank you!" Misao hugged each of us and laughed. "You guys are actually my only friends."

"Only friends? But you're famous," I said. "I thought you would have many friends."

Misao shrugged. "I thought so too when I was chosen to be an idol, but it didn't turn out that way. Also, I don't really remember my life past two years ago, so making friends is a bit difficult when I don't really understand myself yet."

"W-w-w-wait!" I exclaimed. "Did you just say you can't remember anything past two years ago?" I asked.

Misao nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"Uh . . . Never mind," I said and sent Nana and Kiseki a quick glance.

Someone knocked on the trailer door before letting themselves in. When I saw who it was, I yelped and jumped back.

"Nova?!" Ikuto exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Ikuto-sama," Misao greeted as Ikuto walked in and grabbed my wrist.

"Shouldn't you be in school right now?" he asked me. I remained silent. Ikuto glanced at Misao and bowed. "I'm sorry if she bothered you."

"No, Ikuto-sama," Misao said. "She wasn't bothering me. I told her to come here, along with her friends."

"Huh?" Ikuto asked and glanced at Kiseki and Nana who nodded. He then looked down at me. "Still, you should be in school, Nova."

I looked away as he sighed and released my wrist.

"So rebellious," Ikuto whispered and glanced at Misao again. "We're up next. They just wanted me to let you know."

Misao nodded. "Thank you, Ikuto-sama."

He nodded and turned to leave, but not before looking at me again. "We'll talk about this later."

I nodded glumly. "Right."

"Wow. He must really like you," Misao whispered once Ikuto was gone.

"I-it isn't like that!" I stuttered, my cheeks burning again as I waved my arms in the air. "He's just overprotective is all," I added in a low tone and looked away as I crossed my arms over my chest.

Misao chuckled as she walked over to the many clothes and began looking through them for something to wear. "You guys are going to stay while I take the photos, right?"

We nodded.

"Great. Then afterwards we should go do something."

"Sounds fun," I said.

* * *

(? P. O. V)

"Things are moving quicker than we thought."

"Yeah. Both sides are almost done growing. Does this mean . . ."

"The red star will soon appear as well."

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

Ikuto kept glaring at me as he took pictures, and I could just see my punishment in a thought bubble above his head. I have a feeling I won't be able to leave the house for a few months. No, make it years.

Misao had given Kiseki, Nana, and I all sweaters to wear over our uniform so no one would ask questions, and we were watching on the sidelines, VIP passes around our necks.

"Misao doesn't remember anything about herself prior to two years," Nana murmured.

Kiseki and I nodded.

"Just like us," Kiseki said.

"You think it could mean something?" I asked.

Both shrugged.

"I don't know, but I feel like we ended up with more questions than answers we were looking for," Kiseki stated.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

As time went on and more and more photos were taken, my mind began to wander off.

_I'm sorry I'm not gentle,_

_I can say it in my dreams._

_My thoughts are about to short circuit._

_I want to see you now!_

_I want to cry with the moonlight._

_I can't call you it's already midnight._

_But I have a simple heart, so what can I do?_

_My heart is a kaleidoscope._

"What song is that, Nova-chan?" Kiseki asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"What? Song?" I asked and glanced at Nana and Kiseki. "Was I singing it aloud?"

They both nodded.

I chuckled. "Oh sorry about that. I don't really know what song it is. It just pops into my head sometimes and I sing it."

"Your singing is pretty," Kiseki complimented. "How come you don't sing more often?"

I shrugged. "I used to all the time, but then I just stopped." I shrugged again and looked into the sky.

That song. It feels me with nostalgia, just like Whimsical Star. I wonder if they're connected somehow.

"Sing some more," Nana said. "I want to hear the rest of the song."

"Huh? Seriously?" I asked.

They both nodded.

"Okay," I said and smiled.

_With the light of the moon to guide us,_

_we'll be brought together by fate many times over._

_Counting the twinklings of the constellations_

_is how I foretell love's whereabouts._

_Born on the same earth Miracle Romance._

_I believe in this Miracle Romance._

I hadn't noticed that some people around were paying attention to my singing until I had stopped and they started clapping. I looked around, my face flushing. Oops. I didn't mean to call in a crowd or anything.

"That was beautiful," one woman complimented.

"She's amazing," a man said.

"I wonder if she'll be the next idol," a second man said.

"Idol? Me?" I asked and glanced at Nana and Kiseki.

They both smiled and nodded.

"You have the talent," Kiseki said.

"Yeah. You're just as good as Misao."

I remained silent, not really sure what to say. I've never been complimented so much by so many people. It was a bit embarrassing.

As the crowd dispersed, Misao and Ikuto walked over.

"What was with the big crowd?" Misao asked.

"Nova-chan was singing, and it was really amazing!" Kiseki said and clapped her hands.

"Nova was singing?" Ikuto asked in shock and stared down at me. I knew he was thinking about the last time I had sung, which was two years ago.

"I got bored is all," I said, bringing back my macho exterior. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away from everyone.

"I want to hear Nova sing," Misao said.

"We should go to karaoke!" Kiseki chimed happily. "That way we can all hear her sing again."

"K-karaoke? N-no. That's okay," I said. "That isn't a good idea."

"I say it's a great idea," Ikuto said with a devious smirk.

I glared at him.

"Think of this as your punishment for skipping school," he whispered.

Damn.

"Fine. Let's go to karaoke, I guess," I mumbled.

* * *

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Nana, Kiseki, Misao, and I all said in unison and did one of the three choices to see who would go first. Luckily, I had won and Nana would have to sing first.

Nana's cheeks turned red and she was super nervous to sing, so Kiseki decided to sing with her. And . . . It wasn't the best. Then again, it wasn't the worse either. They didn't make my ears bleed, but they did make them hurt a bit.

Still, I clapped because they were my friends and they still did good at singing in unison and with feeling.

"I say Nova should go next," Ikuto said.

"Why are you here anyways?" I whispered harshly to him and he ignored me, taking a sip of his orange soda.

"Since Kiseki and Nana did a duet, how about we do one too, Nova?" Misao asked.

"Yes!" I said happily, preferring to go up with someone then by myself.

We chose the song Moon Revenge, and grabbed our mics as the lyrics began to appear on the screen.

_Grasping tightly to a love you've finally found your way to, _

_you rest gently in a brief sleep._

_Laying a goodbye kiss on your closed eyelid, _

_I left you behind in the garden of time._

My solo came up, so I began to sing.

_Love can't continue _

_as a mere dream._

_But if you lust after it, it becomes a beautiful but hollow shell._

_But still . . ._

Misao and I went back to singing together.

_If that's what you want, then chase after me._

_That kiss is a red tattoo,_

_a tattoo that engraves a prophecy of destiny._

_I'll know with just one look._

_There's a tattoo that hurts in the shape of your lips;_

_you can't hide it._

_It's Moon Revenge, woo . . ._

Misao's part came up now.

_Auras drawn by each other, even when enveloped by darkness_

_cannot be snuffed out, and will not falter._

_I can still see our parting so clearly, and it burns._

_Yet, I hope the next one fate draws me to could be you again._

My turn.

_The deeper the love,_

_the greedier it is._

_I even want to bind up every sigh you make. It's irrational,_

_but still . . ._

_Climbing to the top of the whirlpool of light,_

_crimson memories are a poisonous tattoo._

_A tattoo that shows the chaos of the future._

Now the final two verses were sung by both of us again.

_When we are together,_

_the tattoo hurts in the shape of your lips until we shatter._

_It'd be nice if you'd keep holding me._

_It's Moon Revenge, woo . . ._

_If that's what you want, then chase after me._

_That kiss is a red tattoo,_

_a tattoo that engraves a prophecy of destiny._

_I'll know with just one look_

_there's a tattoo that hurts in the shape of your lips;_

_you can't hide it._

_It's Moon Revenge, woo . . ._

When the song came to an end, I winked and looked out at everyone. "How was that?"

They all clapped and Misao and I bowed together.

I sat next to Ikuto as Kiseki decided to go up by herself. As she sang, Ikuto rested his hand on my head.

"It's nice to hear you singing again," he muttered.

I looked up at him curiously from the corner of my eyes. "You miss it?" I asked.

He nodded and removed his hand from my head as he leaned back on the comfy bench we were sitting on. "I do. I always enjoyed hearing you sing."

I smiled to myself. "Then maybe I'll start singing again."

"Nova! Do a song by yourself this time!" Misao exclaimed when Kiseki was done.

"Okay!" I said happily.

* * *

(? P. O. V - The Next Day)

"What are you humming?"

"Whimsical Star. It's really catchy. It got stuck in my head."

"I see."

_Beep, beep, beep!_

"What's that?"

"A Cardian has just appeared."

"Where?"

"At a near by amphitheater."

"Wait! Isn't there a rehearsal being held there at the moment?!"

"Yes."

* * *

(Nova P. O. V)

As Nana and I walked home from school, our cellphones both vibrated. We glanced at them and noticed we had the same text message from Kiseki.

_**Cardian attack!**_

She put the address, and also a little note that made me even more worried.

_**Misao's is having a rehearsal. We have to hurry before she or anyone else gets hurt.**_

Nana and I hid behind a few trees near by and pulled out our brooches.

"Royal Crystal, Make-up!"

"Sagittarius Power, Make-Up!"

After transforming, we raced to the amphitheater. Kiseki was already there, fighting the Cardian and trying to get it away from the workers.

The Cardian had pink skin with long, blood red hair that was a bit messy, kind of like a rock star's hairstyle. It had a black star over it's right purple eye, and large black headphones. It wore a black tee that reached just above its bellybutton and looked torn at the tip. It also had on leather skinny jeans, black heels, and black fingerless gloves.

It was your stereotypical rock star.

"Rock! Roll! Encore!" the Cardian exclaimed as a large, red electric guitar appeared in its hands. It slammed its hand down on the guitar and a screeching noise filled the air.

Sailor Virgo, Sailor Sagittarius, and I all winced and covered our ears.

"How dare you use music for evil!" I exclaimed when the horrid melody stopped. I stood up and placed my hands on my hips. "Music is the sound of the soul, and I won't forgive you for tainting that! For family, love, and justice! The rebellious sailor suited Senshi, Sailor Nirvana!"

"Likewise, the graceful dancer Senshi, Sailor Virgo!"

"Likewise, the intellectual elegant Senshi, Sailor Sagittarius!"

"And in the name of the stars and moon, we will correct your sins!" we finished in unison and did a pose.

"Rock! Roll!" the Cardian shouted and slammed its hand on the guitar again. This time, a strange beam shot out of the guitar that the three of us quickly dodged.

"You seriously need to be shown how to play some _real _music!" I exclaimed as I summoned my scythe and shot forward.

"Encore!" The Cardian played the guitar again, and unfortunately I was unable to avoid the attack. I put my scythe in front of me to block most of the attack, but I was still sent skidding across the cement.

"Ouch," I whispered.

"Miracle Rain!" Sailor Virgo attacked.

"Lovely Tornado!" Sailor Sagittarius attacked.

They both missed the Cardian, and were delivered the same fate as me.

"This sucks," I whispered. "The thing is pretty fast, and that annoying guitar is pretty strong."

My fellow Senshi nodded.

"What do we do then?" Sailor Virgo asked.

"Merge our attacks," I answered.

Sailor Virgo and Sagittarius nodded and we all struggled back to our feet.

"Lovely Tornado!"

"Miracle Rain!"

"Atonement Of The Stars!"

Our attacks merged together, but the stupid Cardian jumped out of the way.

"Come on!" I shouted angrily.

"We'll just have to try again," Sailor Sagittarius said.

"Right," I muttered. "Let's g—" I stopped mid sentence as the Cardian suddenly stuck its tongue out and grabbed something with it. Gross.

When I saw what was grabbed, my friends and I all gasped.

"Misao!"

Misao struggled to get released from the disgusting tongue, but as she did, her energy began to get drained. Her struggle began to slowly stop.

"No! Let her go!" I shouted and ran forward. "Atonement of the Stars!"

The Cardian merely batted me away with its guitar, and as I fell through the air, someone quickly caught me. I glanced up.

"Hunter."

He put me down and I saw as two other guys shot forward. There was Scorpio, and now someone else.

"There's another Knight?" I asked and looked up at Hunter.

He nodded. "Aries."

"Aries," I whispered. His outfit was the exact same one Scorpio had, but instead of his hood having golden fur around the edge, it had baby blue fur.

Scorpio swung his sword down, cutting the Caridan's tongue.

"Sailor Virgo, Sailor Sagittarius, catch Misao!" I said quickly.

"Right!" they said and got her just in time.

Aries ran forward, one sai in both his hands. He tried stabbing at the Cardian, but it moved out of his way and hit him with its guitar like it had done to me.

"Sailor Nirvana! You have to see this!" Sailor Sagittarius exclaimed.

"What is it?" I asked as I ran over to the three girls. I gasped as my eyes landed on Misao's forehead. "Gemini?"

The sign of Gemini was glowing on her forehead, and there was also something glowing in her pocket. I pulled it out and saw it was the same pendant Sailor Virgo and Sailor Sagittarius had, but it had the sign of Gemini on it.

"She's one of us," Sailor Virgo whispered.

I nodded just as Misao began to open her eyes. She stared at my fellow Senshi and I in shock.

"Sailor Nirvana? Sailor Virgo? Sailor Sagittarius?"

"Listen to me, Misao," I said and handed her the amulet. "I know this is super sudden, but you're one of us, and we need you to transform."

"One of you guys?" she asked.

I nodded. "You're Sailor Gemini, and I need you to transform. Please."

She nodded, her face stern. "Right."

Sailor Sagittarius helped Misao. Misao lifted her amulet in the air and shouted out: "Gemini Power, Make-Up!"

Sailor Gemini had the silver crown on her forehead with a red gem in the center. Her collar, skirt, choker, and high boots were all red, along with the gem on her front bow. The lining of her white, fingerless gloves were teal, so were both her front and back bow, her earrings, and the gem on the front of her choker. Sailor Gemini stared down at herself in shock before looking up with a determined smile.

"Okay," she said with a nod.

We all smiled and looked up at the Cardian as the boys fought with it. The Cardian attacked with another screeching beam from the guitar, hitting Hunter directly.

"Hunter!" I shouted. I glared at the Cardian before turning to my friends. "Come on."

The three of them nodded and shot forward.

"Lovely Tornado!"

"Miracle Rain!"

"Beautiful Spark!" Sailor Gemini attacked, her ability being electricity.

"Atonement of the Stars!" I shouted and attacked as well.

We watched as our attacked merged once more, and I hoped it would work this time. Aries and Scorpio jumped out of the way just in time and the Cardian was taken by surprise as our attack hit.

"We did it!" Sailor Gemini exclaimed as the Cardian vanished.

I glanced over to where Scorpio and Aries were helping Hunter sit up. I ran over to him and crouched down by his side, next to Scorpio.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked.

Hunter smirked and nodded. "That attack was nothing. I'm perfectly fine."

I nodded. "Thank you for always helping us."

Hunter, Scorpio, and Aries all rose to their feet, so did I.

"I'm starting to think, that we just might not be enemies," Hunter admitted.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"But there is still a bit of uncertainty," Aries muttered.

Scorpio and Hunter nodded.

"But we'll hope," Hunter added before the three Knights left.

"I really hope we can be friends," Sailor Sagittarius said as the three Senshi walked over to me.

I nodded. "Me too."

I glanced over at Sailor Gemini as she continued to stare down at her outfit curiously. I chuckled and untransformed, along with the others. I grabbed Kiseki before she could hit the ground, and helped her up until I would be able to put her back in her wheelchair.

Sailor Gemini stared at Nana, Kiseki, and I all in utter shock.

"Nova? Kiseki? Nana?" she whispered.

We nodded.

"You guys are the Sailor Senshi?"

We nodded again.

"And so are you," I said. "Welcome to the group."

"Friend," Kiseki and Nana added.

Sailor Gemini untransformed. Misao stared at us, still shocked. Finally, she smiled and lunged for us, pulling us all into a hug.

"I knew we'd be close friends," she giggled.

* * *

_Everything is being destroyed. The castle, the beautiful castle is being shattered. I can hear people screaming in fear, and others shouting orders to others. I'm running through the halls, a small hand gripped tightly in mine. I have to keep running, I can't stop._

_As I run, I can hear a voice in my head. A voice that chills me to the bone._

_**I will have you, my precious Nova. You will be mine, and mine alone! I will stop at nothing to have you!**_

_No, stop it. Make it go away!_

_The ground underneath my feet began to shake, and I grabbed the person who's hand I was holding as we both fell to our knees. I looked over at the window, the sky pitch black and the only thing visible was a large red star._

* * *

"No!" I shouted, my body sitting up immediately as I awoke from my dream. I placed a hand on my clammy forehead, my body shaking in fear. I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breathe as my heart raced in my chest.

_You must find the other warriors before the night grows black and a red star falls._

"That's what I saw," I whispered.

I looked out my window at the dark night, the clouds blocking out the light of the stars and moon. It made me think of my nightmare, and that only made me more scared. I climbed out of bed, clutching a pillow to my chest as I wandered over to Ikuto's room.

I opened the door and tiptoed over to his bed. I shook Ikuto's shoulder, and watched as his gray eyes opened slowly and he stared up at me groggily.

"Nova?" Ikuto asked and sat up. He rubbed his eyes before running a hand through his hair. "What's wrong?"

"Can I sleep here tonight?" I whispered.

"Huh? Why?"

"I had a nightmare, and . . ." I trailed off.

Ikuto smiled and moved over. "Fine." he patted the now empty space next to him. I smiled and laid down next to Ikuto. I rested my head on the pillow I had brought with me, and moved close to Ikuto. Ikuto wrapped one arm around my shoulders while his other arm wrested under his pillow.

_The night grows black and a red star falls that line kept repeating in my mind as I tried to go back to sleep. My dream had already portrayed the horror of that warning, and I was guaranteed not to let it happen in real life._

_But what about that voice I had heard? That male voice?_

_I shook my head and moved even closer to Ikuto, as if that would really make everything bad go away. That voice scared me, I will admit that. It scared me so much, and I hope I never have to hear it again._

_Never ever again!_

* * *

_**Whimsical Star is a song I made up, so that's by me. The song Nova was singing at first was Moonlight Denetsu, and the song she sang with Misao was Moon Revenge. Alright, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review and look forward to the next one.**  
_

**_~Alice Michaelis_**


End file.
